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What should you do in a medical emergency following surgery?

In the case of a medical concern, you should contact the number given to you by your hospital/clinician upon discharge and seek advice on what to do. This will typically be your post-op team.

In a medical emergency, call 999. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life is at risk.

As soon as is appropriate, please inform your post-op team and Patient Care Adviser.

For concerns regarding your incision sites or wounds

We advise you to contact the number given to you by your hospital/clinician upon discharge and seek advice on what to do. This will typically be your post-op team. It is important to confirm with your post-op team before being discharged from the hospital who you should contact and when.

Step 1: Contact the number given to you by the hospital/ your clinician

Step 2: Follow any instructions they have

If you are unable to get through to them and it is an emergency, don't hesitate to get in touch with 999; if it is minor, leave a message via the contact number (if possible). If you are unsure and want to speak to someone, NHS phone number 111 may be able to provide assistance.

Step 3: Inform your Patient Care Adviser. Please email care@medbelle.com, and we will reply to you once we are in office hours. For less urgent concerns, don't hesitate to get in touch with your Patient Care Adviser directly via Whatsapp or email, and they will respond once they are back in the office. Please bear in mind that Patient Care Adviser emails and Whatsapps may not be checked every day due to holidays/ absences.

Below you will find helpful information relating to wound care:

Common signs of wound infection, as per NHS information, include:

• swelling
• increased redness around the wound
• pus or bleeding from the wound
• the wound feels warm
• an unpleasant smell from the wound
• increasing pain
• a high temperature
• swollen glands

This NHS article provides more information about caring for stitches and signs of infection. Please be aware this is just a guide, and you should always follow your surgeon’s and post-op teams instructions.

We understand that concerns following surgery can be very distressing; it’s important to remain calm and follow the instructions your surgeon/post-op team have given you.

• In an emergency, contact 999
• If it is not an emergency, contact your post-op team at the hospital (using the number provided to you.
• Your Patient Care Adviser can always help you get the support you need from our clinical partners, but please be aware that they cannot provide you with any specific clinical advice themselves.

We’re here to take your call from: Monday - Thursday: 8:00am to 4:00pm, and Friday: 9:00am to 4:30pm, excluding public holidays.