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 (information for pregnancy and after birth)
- Blood clots-Prevention of DVT/PE in COVID-19
- Blood clots -Prevention of Blood Clots following Elective Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery
- Blood clots-Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
- Blood clots-Treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Blood clots- Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
- 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
- Desensitisation
- 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
- Face care
- How to use Flamazine™
- Massage and moisturiser
- Management of oedema after a burn
- Microneedling Pre-treatment Information for patients
- Microneedling Post-treatment Information for patients
- Pressure garments
- Pulsed dye laser treatment (PDL)
- Skin grafts (autograft)
- Silicone Gel
- Silicone gel sheets
- Silicone spray
- Splints
- Guidelines for patients with Duoderm dressings
- Scar tissue and contractures—initial stage
- Scar tissue and contractures—leaving hospital
- Vacuum Massage (LPG)
Burns—Children
- Burns family group
- 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
- A guide on Care Information Exchange /Patients Know Best for virtual wards
- 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
Chelsea Centre for Gender Surgery
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
- Anal Cancer
- Anal Precancer
- Colorectal Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CW)
- Colorectal Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (WM)
- Discharge advice after colorectal surgery
- High Resolution Anoscopy
- High Resolution Anoscopy and Laser Ablation
- HPV and HPV Vaccination
- Instructions for 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) Cream (Efudix) application
- Instructions for the application of topical Aldara (5% Imiquimod)
- Laparoscopic colorectal surgery
- Laparotomy and abdominoperineal excision (APE) of the rectum
- My personal surveillance schedule
- Role of the colorectal multidisciplinary team
- 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
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
- Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU
- Teledermatology Rapid Access Clinic- CW doc
- Teledermatology Rapid Access Clinic- CW PDF
- Teledermatology Rapid Access Clinic- WM doc
- Teledermatology Rapid Access Clinic- WM PDF
- Topical Treatment Guide
- Shingles information sheet
- Skin Cancer Monitoring Information
- Urgent Skin Cancer Service Evaluation
Diabetes care
- Dietary advice for Gestational Diabetes
- Trouble shooting continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII)
Diagnostics
- Barrett's oesophagus (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Bronchoscopy (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Colonoscopy (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Colonoscopy (West Middlesex)
- Capsule endoscopy (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Capsule endoscopy (West Middlesex)
- Diverticular Disease
- Dual Procedure - Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy (West Middlesex)
- Dual Procedure - Gastroscopy and Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (West Middlesex)
- Endoscopic ultrasound (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (West Middlesex)
- Gastroscopy (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Gastroscopy and colonoscopy (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Gastroscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Helicobacter Pylori
- Hydrogen breath test (lactose/ glucose/ fructose) (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Low fibre diet sheet (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Oesophageal Stent Insertion (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Oesophageal physiology studies (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Patency capsule test (Chelsea & Westminster)
- Patency capsule test (West Middlesex)
- Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) Insertion (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Urea breath test (helicobacter pylori) (Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex)
- Wireless pH study (Bravo capsule) (Chelsea & Westminster)
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
- Hearing aid fitting—referral from ENT (WM)
- Hearing assessment (WM)
- Hearing therapy (WM)
- Information about tinnitus
- Your child's hearing test appointment
- Otits 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 (CW)
- HIV testing in the emergency department (WM)
- Hounslow homeless services (WM)
- Kidney stones
- Knee injury information and advice
- Neck pain
- Outpatient Parenteral (intravenous) Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT)
- 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
- Buckle fractures in children
- Caring for your plaster cast
- Parent information sheet for walking boots
- Pulled elbows
End of life care
- Care in the last days of life
- 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
- Colposcopy
- Complementary Aromatherapy in Outpatient Hysteroscopy
- Conscious Sedation in Gynaecology
- Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU)
- Endometrial Atypical Hyperplasia
- Endometrial Hyperplasia Without Atypia
- Gonadotropin releasing agonists (GnRHa) treatment for PMDD
- Hormone implants in hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) in men
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) in women
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system with hormone replacement therapy
- 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
- Medical patients at Sexual Health Hounslow
- Pan London Facial Lipoatrophy Service
- Pan London Facial Lipoatrophy Service - Aftercare Tips
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
- Bone scan
- Central venous line insertion
- Colonic transit study
- CT cardiac angiogram
- CT scan checklist (PDF)
- DAT scan
- DMSA adult scan
- DMSA 0–2 years
- DMSA 2–16 years
- Fibroid embolisation with X-ray guidance
- Gastric band adjustment
- Gastric emptying and colonic transit study
- Gastric emptying study
- GRF kidney function test
- Hickman line insertion
- HIDA scan (gall-bladder)
- Interventional radiology angiogram
- Joint aspiration
- Milk scan
- Myocardial perfusion scan
- MUGA scan
- Nephrostomy insertion
- Parathyroid scan
- Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)
- Pre—procedure checklist for CT colonography (PDF)
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Radiologically inserted gastrostomy (RIG)
- Radio—iodine therapy
- Renogram for adults
- Renogram/MCUG 0–2 years
- Renogram/MCUG 2–16 years
- SeHCAT scan
- Trans-jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS)
- Trans-jugular liver biopsy
- Thyroid scan & consultation
- Thyroid scan
- Ureteric stent insertion
- Ultrasound guided biopsy
- Ultrasound guided drainage
- Ultrasound guided liver biopsy
- Ultrasound-guided trigger finger release
- Vascular embolisation
- Vena cava filter insertion
- White cell scan
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
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
Pain Management
Physiology
Plastic Surgery
- Abdominoplasty Surgery
- After your plastic surgery
- Before your hand or wrist surgery
- Changing your dressing at home
- Ganglion cyst aspiration
- Nail bed repair
- Nerve blocks for hand surgery
- Reconstruction after Mohs surgery: Understanding the surgical options
- 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
Research
Respiratory
- Asthma
- Breathing techniques
- Bronchoscopy
- Bronchiectasis
- COPD
- Find local stop smoking services
- Inhaler techniques (videos)—Asthma and Lung UK · Right Breath
- Living with a lung condition
- Lung cancer
- NHS quit smoking advice
- NHS quit smoking app (free)—download for iOS · download for Android
- Non invasive ventilation (NIV) FAQs
- Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)
- Pneumonia
- Pneumothorax
- Pulmonary embolism (PE)
- Understanding lung nodules
Sexual Health
- Advice for patients who have been tested for mpox
- 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
- Day surgery information for patients at West Mid
- 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
- Total Hip Replacement
- Waiting for trauma orthopaedic surgery
- Knee injury information and advice
- Your hip fracture
- Your rib fracture
Urology
Please see urology services for further information—the following organisations provide patient information relating to urological conditions:
- British Association of Urological Surgeons
- Macmillan Cancer Support patient information
- MRI Fusion Trans-perineal Prostate Biopsies under General Anaesthesia
- MRI Fusion Trans-perineal Prostate Biopsies under Local Anaesthesia
- Prostate Cancer UK patient information
- Radiofrequency Induced Thermo-Chemotherapy with Mitomycin C / Epirubicin
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
- Early pregnancy and acute gynaecology unit
- Endometrial Cancer PIFU (patient initiated follow up)
- Endometrial Atypical Hyperplasia
- Epilepsy and pregnancy
- Evacuation of retained products of conception
- Expectant management of miscarriage
- Fibroid embolisation
- HSG (hysterosalpingography)
- Implant aftercare
- Intrauterine pregnancy of uncertain viability
- Medical management of miscarriage
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy—hyperemesis gravidarum
- Pain and Bleeding in early pregnancy
- Pre-existing diabetes and pregnancy (WM)
- Pregnancy advisory clinic (WM)
- Pregnancy of unknown location / Inconclusive scan
- Post-menopausal ovarian cysts
- Sensitive Disposal Arrangements and Histopathology Examination of Pregnancy Remains
- Subchorionic Haematoma
- Surgical management of miscarriage
- Surgical management of miscarriage under local anaesthetic using manual vacuum aspiration
- Surgical management of tubal ectopic pregnancies
- Support options for birth trauma
- Taking Progesterone in pregnancy
- 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?
ReciteMe
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).