Patient leaflets
Patient information leaflets
As part of your care you should receive information about your appointment, test, operation or anything you need to do when you return home. If you have not received the relevant information, please speak to your doctor or nurse.
Some leaflets are relevant to only one hospital site—these are marked (CW) for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and (WM) for West Middlesex University Hospital.
On this page
Patient information leaflets by department
Bariatric dietetics
- After your Bariatric Surgery
- Dietary Guidance after Intra-gastric Balloon Insertion
- Dietary Guidance after Gastric Band Surgery
- Dietary Guidance after Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery
- Fourteen day post operation meal ideas
- Liver shrinkage diet for Bariatric Surgery
- Pregnancy after Bariatric Surgery
- Protein after Bariatric Surgery
- Ramadan and fasting after Bariatric Surgery
- Reactive Hypoglycaemia after Bariatric Surgery
- Seven simple pre operation meal ideas
- Vitamin and mineral supplements after Gastric Band and Balloon Insertion
- Vitamin and mineral supplements after Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Gastrectomy
Bereavement
Blood clots/venous thromboembolism
- Blood clots—Prevention of DVT/PE (information for inpatients)
- Blood clots—Prevention of DVT/PE (information for A&E/UCC/outpatients)
- Blood clots—Prevention of DVT/PE in COVID-19
- Blood clots—Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
- Blood clots—Treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Blood clots—Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC)
Burns—Adult
- After your burns surgery
- Biobrane®
- Caring for your new skin
- Coping with the stress of a traumatic incident
- Crutches and walking frames
- Cosmetic camouflage
- Discharge information and support
- Diphoterine®
- Direct closures
- Donor sites
- Donated skin grafting (Allograft)
- Eating well after a major burn injury
- Eating well after a minor burn injury
- Escharotomy
- How to use Flamazine™
- Massage and moisturiser
- Management of oedema after a burn
- Pressure garments
- Skin grafts (autograft)
- Silicone gel sheets
- Silicone spray
- Splints
- Guidelines for patients with Duoderm dressings
- Face care
- Scar tissue and contractures—initial stage
- Scar tissue and contractures—leaving hospital
Burns—Children
- Burns outpatient dressing clinics—guidance for parents
- Caring for your child's new skin following a burn injury
- Coping with the stress of a traumatic incident
- Dontated skin grafting (Allograft)
- Duoderm advice
- Gabapentin for itching, information for children after a burn
- Guidelines for patients with Duoderm dressings
- How to use Flamazine™
- Massage and moisturisation
- Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
- Zinc tape advice
Cardiology
- Adenosine Challenge
- Advice following cardioversion
- Bubble contrast echocardiogram (echo)
- Cardiac monitoring
- Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram (DSE)
- Going home after your daycase angiogram/angioplasty
- Myocardial perfusion scan
- Patient checklist on discharge
- Post pacemaker implant
- Sexual activity following a heart attack
- Transoesophgeal echocardiogram (TOE)
- Treadmill Stress Echocardiogram (TSE)
- Your cardioversion
- Your coronary angiogram
- Your coronary angiogram and coronary angioplasty
- Your implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implant
- Your pacemaker
- Your reveal device
Children’s Services
- Advice following dental surgery
- Apollo Ward (CW)
- Art therapy
- Before and after your procedure (children 16 and under)
- Bell's palsy
- Care of your synthetic cast
- Central line care
- Childhood Asthma
- Clavicle fractures in children
- Conjunctivitis
- Day cases (CW)
- Diet advice for dental patients
- Epidural analgesia for children and young people
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR)
- Hand surgery
- Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP)
- Hernias in children
- Implantable portcaths
- Information following a caudal block
- Jupiter Ward (CW)
- Kawasaki’s disease
- Lumbar puncture
- Mastoidectomy
- Mercury Ward (CW)
- Myringotomy and grommet insertion
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Neptune Ward (CW)
- Oral morphine (Oramorph®) for children and young people to take home
- Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU)
- PICC lines
- Play in hospital
- Transient synovitis (irritable hip)
- What is an MRI scan?
- Why is hand washing so important on the neonatal unit
- Seborrhoeic dermatitis
- Skin care for children with eczema
- Skin laser treatment
- Starlight Ward (WM)
- Sunshine Day Unit (WM)
Children’s therapy
Colorectal cancer
- Discharge advice after colorectal surgery
- Laparoscopic colorectal surgery
- Laparotomy and abdominoperineal excision (APE) of the rectum
- My personal surveillance schedule
- Role of the colorectal multidisciplinary team
- Role of the colorectal nurse specialist (CW)
- Role of the colorectal nurse specialist (WM)
- Signs and symptoms to look out for after my treatment for bowel cancer
- Surveillance for patients who have completed neo adjuvant/adjuvant treatment of (T4 or N+)
- Surveillance for patients without adjuvant treatment (T1/2/3 N0 M0)
- What is open access follow up?
Community paediatrics—Cheyne Child Development
- Cheyne Child Development Service—Information for parents
- Cheyne Child Development: While you wait—Pre-School Age (Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster children)
- Cheyne Child Development: while you wait—Pre-School Age (Hammersmith and Fulham children)
- Cheyne Child Development Support—For parents who have a child with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Pre-school age (All boroughs)
- Cheyne Child Development Support—For parents who have a school aged child with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (All boroughs)
- Cheyne Child Development Support—For parents who have a school aged child with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Hammersmith & Fulham)
- Cheyne Child Development Support—For parents who have a school aged child with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Kensington & Chelsea)
- Cheyne Child Development Support—For parents who have a school aged child with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Westminster)
- Cheyne Child Development: While you wait—School Age (All boroughs)
- Cheyne Child Development: While you wait—School age (Hammersmith & Fulham)
- Cheyne Child Development: While you wait—School age (Kensington & Chelsea)
- Cheyne Child Development: While you wait—School Age (Westminster)
- Child protection medical assessment
- Pre-school social communication (SCD) assessment pathway
- School age Autism (ASD) assessment pathway
Complaints
Coronavirus Information
- COVID-19 infection: Discharge from A&E or GP consultation
- COVID-19 infection: Discharge from hospital stay
- COVID-19 (coronavirus) information for inpatients
- Information for patients coming into hospital for a procedure or surgery
Delirium
Dermatology—Adults & Children
- Advice following skin surgery
- Advice following Curettage or Shave
- Advice following minor skin excision
- Advice following skin biopsy
- Before Skin Surgery
- Dermatology patient information
- Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU)
Diabetes care
Diagnostics
- Barrett's oesophagus
- Bronchoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- Colonoscopy (West Mid site)
- Capsule endoscopy
- Capsule endoscopy (West Mid site)
- Dual Procedure - Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy (West Mid site)
- Dual Procedure - Gastroscopy and Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (West Mid Site)
- Endoscopic ultrasound
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP)
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (West Mid site)
- Gastroscopy (West Mid Site)
- Gastroscopy and colonoscopy
- Gastroscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Hydrogen breath test (lactose/glucose)
- Low fibre diet sheet
- Patency capsule test
- Patency capsule test (West Mid Site)
- Preparing for your Colonoscopy (West Mid)—Patient Videos
- Urea breath test (helicobacter pylori)
Duty of candour
Ear, nose and throat (ENT) and Audiology
- After the removal of bilateral external nasal splint (POP) and internal nasal splint
- After the removal of stiches from ear area and canal
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) (WM)
- Assistive devices (WM)
- BTE—how to change domes and tubes (PDF)
- Cleaning hearing aids (PDF)
- Conditions of the ear
- Conditions and procedures of the nose
- Conditions of the throat
- Conditions of the head and neck
- Communications tactics (PDF)
- Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
- Further patient information leaflets
- Hearing aid fitting—referral from ENT (WM)
- Hearing assessment (WM)
- Hearing therapy (WM)
- Information about tinnitus
- Your child's hearing test appointment
- Middle ear infections (otitis media)
- Otits externa
- Outer ear infections (otitis externa)
- Patient management plan (WM)
- Paediatric Transition to adult audiology services (WM)
- Regular ear care
- Swim moulds policy and collection information (WM)
- Tinnitus direct access clinic (WM)
- Tinnitus sound masker (WM)
- Thyroid and parathyroid disorders and treatments (WM)
- Types of hearing loss (PDF)
- Understanding thyroid cancer (PDF)
- Visual nystagmography (VNG) Test (WM)
- Your hearing reassessment (WM)
Emergency department (A&E)—adults
- Acute burns
- Allergic reactions
- Ankle injuries
- Antibiotics
- Back pain
- Care of an adult head injury
- Care of an ankle injury
- Care of plaster cast
- Care of your stitches
- Care of your wound that has been glued or steristripped
- Co-dydramol
- Diazepam
- Ealing homeless services (WM)
- Fluoroquinolone antibiotics
- Gastroenteritis
- HIV testing in the emergency department (WM)
- Hounslow homeless services (WM)
- Kidney stones
- Knee injury information and advice
- Neck pain
- Radial head/neck fracture
- Richmond homeless services (WM)
- Sedation
- Shoulder pain
- Skin infection—cellulitis
- Sore throat
- Tetanus immunisation following a wound or burn
Emergency department (A&E)—children
- After a minor head injury
- After closure of a wound with glue and/or Steri-Strips
- Buckle fractures in children
- Bronchiolitis
- Caring for your plaster cast
- Chickenpox
- Constipation
- Croup
- Concussion in children and teenagers
- Diarrhoea and vomiting
- Febrile convulsion
- Fever in children and young people
- Intravenous cannulation
- Neonatal jaundice
- Parent information sheet for walking boots
- Prolonged jaundice
- Pulled elbows
- Soft tissue ankle injuries in children
- Tonsillitis
- Transient synovitis
- Wheeze management
End of life care
- Care in the last days of life
- Co-Ordinate my care (CMC)
- Eating and drinking for patients with dementia reaching end of life (PDF by Marie Curie and UCL)
- Managing breathlessness (PDF by Marie Curie and UCL)
- Opioid management
- Planning for your future care
Gastroenterology—Children
General
Gynaecology
- Bowel endometriosis
- Cervical ectropion
- Cervical polyps
- Cryocautery of the cervix
- Colposcopy
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) in men
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) in women
- Intrauterine System (IUS)
- Loop diathermy excision of the cervix (LLETZ)
- Minor gynaecology procedure clinic
- Nabothian follicle/nabothian cyst
- Outpatient hysteroscopy clinic
- One-stop benign gynaecology clinic
- Pregnancy advisory clinic (West Mid)
- What to expect after a biopsy of the cervix
- What is a medical termination at home?
- What is a medical termination of pregnancy?
- What is a surgical termination?
HIV
Hand Therapy
- Coping with stress following a hand injury
- Desk health—ergonomics
- Desk health—exercises
- Desk health—typing tips
- Guide to purchase of therapy supplies
- Guide to therapy putty purchase
- How to access sick pay/employment support following a hand injury
- Joint protection and energy conservation
- Managing with a hand or wrist injury
Imaging (X-ray, MRI and Ultrasound)
- Angioplasty and stenting
- Arthrogram or joint injection (CW)
- Biliary drain and stent insertion
- Central venous line insertion
- Fibroid embolisation with X-ray guidance
- Gastric band adjustment
- Hickman line insertion
- Interventional radiology angiogram
- Joint aspiration
- Nephrostomy insertion
- Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Radiologically inserted gastrostomy (RIG)
- Skincare after high dose interventional fluoroscopy
- Trans-jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS)
- Trans-jugular liver biopsy
- Trigger finger release
- Ureteric stent insertion
- Ultrasound guided biopsy
- Ultrasound guided drainage
- Ultrasound guided liver biopsy
- Ultrasound guided lymph node biopsy
- Varicocele embolisation
- Vascular embolisation
- Vena cava filter insertion
- Bone scan
- Colonic transit study
- DAT scan
- DMSA adult scan
- Gastric emptying and colonic transit study
- Gastric emptying study
- GRF kidney function test
- HIDA scan (gall-bladder)
- Radio—iodine therapy
- Milk scan
- Myocardial perfusion scan
- MUGA scan
- DMSA 0–2 years
- DMSA 2–16 years
- Parathyroid scan
- Renogram for adults
- Renogram/MCUG 0–2 years
- Renogram/MCUG 2–16 years
- SeHCAT scan
- Thyroid scan & consultation
- Thyroid scan
- White cell scan
- Pre—procedure checklist for CT colonography (PDF)
- CT scan checklist (PDF)
- CT cardiac angiogram
Information Governance
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Children visiting ICU
- Critical care transfers
- Information for family and friends
- Investigations in ICU
- On the road to recovery
- Role of the physiotherapist in ICU
- Treatment in ICU
- Weaning from the ventilator
Macmillan Support
- Macmillan information and support centre at Chelsea and Westminster hospital
- Your Macmillan Breast Nurses Team at West Middlesex Hospital
Medical Photography
Medicine
- Giant Cell Arteritis (Temporal Arteritis)
- Memory clinic (CW)
- Pleural effusion pathway
- Understanding lung nodules
Menopause, premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) services
- Gonadotropin releasing agonists, treatment for premenstrual syndromes
- Hormone implants in hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- The Daisy Network (Premature Ovarian Insufficiency-POI)
- National Association Premenstrual Syndrome (NAPS)
- Women’s Health Concern (affiliated with BMS)
- Menopause Matters
- NICE: Menopause: Diagnosis and Management (NICE Guidance NG23)
- BMS: British Menopause Society (BMS menopause and POI guidelines)
- IMS: International Menopause Society (IMS menopause guidelines)
- PMS: Premenstrual Syndrome, Management (RCOG green-top guideline)
- ESHRE: European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (POI Guidelines)
- Estra-50 Pellet
- Testo-100 Pellet
Neonatal Community Outreach
Older adults
- Information for older adults
- Dementia carers booklet (CW)
- Dementia carers booklet (WM)
- A practical guide to healthy ageing
- Preventing falls in Hospital
- Open age
Physiology
Plastic Surgery
- Before your hand or wrist surgery
- Changing your dressing at home
- Ganglion cyst aspiration
- Nail bed repair
- Nerve blocks for hand surgery
- Removal of accessory digits in babies under local anaesthetic
- Skin Camouflage
Podiatry
- Bunion management
- Heel pain syndrome
- Management of hallux limitus
- Management of nail problems
- Management of toe deformities
- Metatarsalgia and dislocated toe deformities
- Midfoot problems
- Neuroma information
- Posterior heel pain information booklet
- Treating flat foot
Rainsford Mowlem Ward
Research
Sexual Health
- Advice for patients who have been tested for monkeypox—John Hunter Clinic
- Advice for patients who have been tested for monkeypox—10 Hammersmith Broadway
- Advice for insertion of intrauterine contraception
- Advice following insertion of intrauterine contraception
- Implant aftercare
- Sexual health patient information
Stoma care
- Care of your colostomy
- Care of your ileostomy
- Colostomy UK
- Diet guidelines for patients with a colostomy
- Diet guidelines for patients with an ileostomy
- Discharge information for ileostomy patients
- Discharge information for colostomy patients
- Ileostomy & internal pouch association
- Information for patients—Pelican healthcare
- Living with a stoma—Dansac
- Ostomy learning centre—Hollister
- People with a stoma—Coloplast
- Stoma care—specialised nursing service
- Stoma tips
- Your stoma—Salts Healthcare
Surgery
- Anaesthesia explained
- Before and after your procedure (children 16 and under)
- Day case surgery
- Information for adults having planned surgery
- Lumbar spinal stenosis
- Preparing for procedures under general anaesthetic or sedation
- Pregnancy test screening before surgery (adult females)
- Pregnancy test screening before surgery (young females)
Tissue Viability
Trauma and Orthopaedics
- Fifth metatarsal fracture—discharge advice
- Acromio-clavicular Joint (ACJ) Injury
- Advice and information following ankle fracture surgery
- Ankle injuries
- Ankle injury exercises
- Ankle sprain : discharge advice
- Care of your synthetic cast
- Soft tissue injury of the ankle
- Walker boot care advice
- Elbow injury—discharge advice
- Shoulder injury/fractured proximal humerus
- Radial head/neck fracture
- Shoulder injury advice & exercises
- Toe fractures—discharge advice
- Waiting for trauma orthopaedic surgery
- Knee injury information and advice
- Your hip fracture
Urology
- Prostate patient information
- Stones disease
- Urology patient information
- Understanding testicular cancer
- Understanding kidney cancer
- Understanding early (localised) prostate cancer
- Understanding locally advanced prostate cancer
- Understanding advanced (metastatic) prostate cancer
- Understanding non—muscle invasive bladder cancer
- Understanding muscle—invasive and advanced bladder cancer
- Understanding the PSA test
- Understanding radiotherapy
- Understanding chemotherapy
- Malignant spinal cord compression
- Giving up smoking
- Talking to children and teenagers when an adult has cancer
- Travel and cancer
- Cancer treatment and fertility information for men
- Physical activity and cancer
Women’s services
- Advice for insertion of intrauterine contraception
- Advice following insertion of intrauterine contraception
- Antibiotics in labour
- Chorionic Villus Sampling and Amniocentesis
- Diabetes in Pregnancy
- Epilepsy and pregnancy
- Expectant management of miscarriage
- Fibroid embolisation
- HSG (hysterosalpingography)
- Implant aftercare
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy—hyperemesis gravidarum
- Pre-existing diabetes and pregnancy (WM)
- Pregnancy advisory clinic (WM)
- Subchorionic Haematoma
- Surgical management of miscarriage under local anaesthetic using manual vacuum aspiration
- Support options for birth trauma
- What is a medical termination at home?
- What is a medical termination of pregnancy?
- What is a surgical termination?
- Word catheter for Bartholin’s abscess
- Your waters have released (waters have broken)—what are your options?
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We are currently adding information leaflets to this page, a small selection are listed below. You can also use the search function on the top right hand side of the screen.
All our information is based on accepted scientific evidence and national guidelines, and checked by both healthcare professionals and patients. We also use leaflets produced by other reputable organisations, such as Macmillan Cancer Support.
Give us your feedback
We value feedback on our information as we want to make sure the information you receive is helpful to you. If you have any comments about our leaflets, we would be happy to hear from you. You can email us at chelwest.cwpals@nhs.net (Chelsea site) chelwest.wmpals@nhs.net (West Mid site).