Visitor policy
General information
We aim to provide high quality care in a safe and clean environment, putting our patients first and making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect at all times.
Our staff and patients have a right to be treated with dignity and respect when working and accessing our services irrespective of age, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, gender or trans status, marital status and pregnancy. We value diversity amongst our services and take a strict zero tolerance policy towards discrimination, harassment and any other form of exclusion within MTW services including, but not limited to, racism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and ableism.
We offer single sex wards at Maidstone Hospital and Fordcombe Hospital, and Tunbridge Wells Hospital has single en-suite rooms on all wards. Single sex accommodation may be provided in single sex wards and single sex bays or rooms within mixed wards. Download our Declaration of Compliance.
In exceptional circumstances in which a patient needs urgent or specialist care in areas such as Accident and Emergency, the Intensive Care Unit, Coronary Care Unit, Stroke Unit or recovery, mixing men and women may be unavoidable. We will work to resolve such situations as quickly as possible and will keep patients and their families informed. During these times, our priority will be to maintain patients’ privacy and dignity.
If you have any concerns about privacy and dignity, please speak to the ward sister/charge nurse in the first instance or the matron for the area. You can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 01622 224960.
Our hospitals at Fordcombe, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells are smoke-free, which means smoking isn’t permitted anywhere on our hospital sites.
We offer picture menus via iPads on our wards. The picture menus are great for helping patients with communication difficulties select the food they want to eat, giving them independence and choice.
Facilities for patients and visitors
We have a range of catering and retail options for patients and visitors.
Our hospitals also have free public WiFi. Just select _MTWPublicWiFi and follow the instructions to register.
Keeping safe while staying in our hospitals
While you are in hospital, keeping you safe and well is a priority for the staff looking after you. There are also some simple things you can do to help keep yourself safe during your hospital stay, such as asking for help when needed, protecting yourself from slips and falls and helping to prevent blood clots.
A leaflet ‘Simple steps to keep you safe during your hospital stay’ is available to read to give you some tips and advice on keeping yourself safe. The leaflet is also available in multiple languages. A video has also been produced which you can view below.
Patient access to treatment
Read our policy on patient referral to treatment (RTT) access and waiting times. The policy encompasses procedures for managing patient access to RTT services from booking, notice requirements, patients’ choice and waiting list management for all stages of a referral to treatment, including discharge to primary care or other provider.
MTW makes every effort to ensure that referrals are handled efficiently and equitably, in line with national guidance, and to ensure that the patient’s best interests and wishes are at the forefront of the way the Trust operates.
Do you need an interpreter?
If you need to use an interpreter when you visit our hospitals for an appointment or procedure, please contact the number on your appointment letter to arrange this and please provide as much notice as possible. This includes people needing British Sign Language and Hands On/Hands Over interpreting.
Reducing infections
We pride ourselves on very low infection rates but need your help to make sure we keep infection rates down. Please help protect patients by making sure you use the gel provided to clean your hands. There are also wash basins close to every bed for everyone to use before and after they come into contact with patients.
Handy tips on how to prevent and reduce the spread of infections can be found on our visiting hours page.