In order to admit you as an inpatient we need some personal details. You may register in person at the Central Patient Admissions Office or give written authority to someone to do this for you. The Patient Admissions Office is located in the Administration Building, close to the Information Office. It is open on Monday and Tuesday from 07:30 to 16:00 hrs, on Wednesday and Thursday from 07:30 to 15:30 hrs, and on Friday from 07:30 to 15:00 hrs. If you arrive with us outside office opening hours, say at the weekend or on a public holiday, please register directly on your ward.

Patients at Operations Centre II may register directly at the centre's own Patient Admissions Office. This may be found in the entrance foyer and is open on Monday to Wednesday from 07:30 to 12:30 hrs and on Thursday from 07:30 to 12:00 hrs. Outside these hours, please contact our Central Patient Admissions Office in the Administration Building.

Patients at the West German Heart Centre in Essen may also register in the building's entrance foyer. The desk is open throughout the day.

No pets are allowed on the University Hospital grounds.

There is an ATM cash machine at the main entrance to the Administration Building next to the Information Office. You may use your "ec" debit card to withdraw cash from your account. You will also find banks located close to the main hospital entrance on Hufelandstrasse and Gemarkenplatz.

You may donate blood at our Institute of Transfusion Medicine. The institute is located on the University Hospital grounds-inside Surgical Center II, near the information desk in the entrance hall.

Prior to your first donation you will be examined by our physicians. This allows them to determine whether there are any health reasons preventing you from donating blood, and whether your blood will be fit for later use. This is necessary so that we may protect you from health risks. Also, we want to make sure that we will actually be able to use your donated blood to save other people's lives, and not to find out later that this is impossible due to health reasons.

These medical pre-examinations are conducted on Tuesdays between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., on Wednesdays between 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and on Fridays at individually scheduled times. Four weeks after your exam you will be able to donate blood for the first time. For registration and information call 0201-723-1560.

There is the cafeteria "Piazza D'Oro" inside the entrance hall of Surgical Center II. It is a popular meeting spot and provides both patients and visitors with some relief from hospital life. On warmer days, outdoor seating is available as well. The cafeteria is open Mondays through Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays an on holidays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In addition to breakfast, hot and cold dishes, salads, vegetarian dishes, and pastries are offered. There are also many beverages from which to choose.

The use of cell phones (mobile phones) is generally allowed on hospital grounds. However, all phones must be switched off when entering clinics and institutes, as their radio waves may interfere with sensitive medical devices.

We take your suggestions and complaints very seriously indeed. You have the opportunity to express any criticism (or praise) in our Department of Quality & Clinical Risk Management. 

If you prefer to express an opinion in person, you can find us on the ground floor (Room 1.68) of Operations Centre I (OZ I). You are also welcome to call us on 02 01 / 7 23-8 53 99 or write to us at: Universitätsklinikum Essen, Qualitätsmanagement und klinisches Risikomanagement, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.

What things of daily necessity does a patient need during his or her hospital stay? Which documents are important? Which personally things should be left at home? This checklist can answer these questions.

If you have any questions about specific diets to follow in connection with your medical condition, our dietary and nutritional counselling service will be pleased to help - under doctors' instructions only (nursing staff will be pleased to make an appointment for you).

When your case doctor considers your treatment to be complete, he/she will talk to you about the procedures for your discharge. On the day of your discharge please don't forget to take all your personal belongings with you! Please also remember any valuables you may have put into safe keeping on the ward.

Flowers add colour, freshness and a homely atmosphere to your room. For space reasons, and out of respect for your fellow patients, please check with the nursing staff before bringing cut flowers into your room. We ask that patients with increased susceptibility to infection refrain from putting flowers in their rooms.

The Bursar's Office is located in the Administration Building next to the Patient Admissions Office. Here you can pay 28 days' worth of the statutory top-up charge of 10 euros per day of stay. The Bursar's Office is open on Monday to Friday between 07:45 and 13:00 hrs and between 13:45 and 15:00 hrs. You may also pay the amount due by bank transfer to any one of the following accounts: 

Any excess amounts paid - due to a shorter stay with us - will be refunded upon discharge. Please retain your receipt. It is accepted as proof of payment(s) to be credited against any further hospital stay(s) during the same calendar year. Should your stay with us end up being longer than planned, please pay the outstanding balance after discharge at the Bursar's Office or by bank transfer to one of the above accounts.

You are exempt from top-up charges if you are under 18 years of age or have recently given birth, if your illness requires semi-inpatient treatment (part-hospitalisation) or your inpatient treatment is being paid for by the statutory government accident insurance scheme.

You may choose to make use of elective benefits, if required. These include personal treatment by the senior consultant, accommodation in a two-bed or single-occupancy room, and accommodation of an accompanying individual. Please agree these elective benefits in writing on the day of arrival at the Patient Admissions Office or with the ward responsible for you if you are admitted directly on the ward. If paying your own medical bills, you are obliged to pay for the benefits and services of which you have availed yourself. On the day you are admitted as an inpatient to UH Essen, please make an advance payment at the Bursar's Office to the value of the estimated charges. The value of this amount is calculated provisionally by your case doctor and by admin staff.

You have a daily choice of three different set meals. You will be asked for your preferences one day in advance. We are happy to cater for your personal and religious dietary requirements and offer you alternatives. Where you have food allergies - however slight - or have to follow a specific diet, we'll take this into account in consultation with your case doctor.

Restaurant

In the guest house there is a communal kitchen in which you may prepare your meals. Also, the University Hospital restaurant offers a wide variety of food and drink.

At the Meyer-Schwickerath-Platz at OZ II you can find our food truck. There you can obtain potato chips, the German "Currywurst", cutlets, meatballs, sandwiches, cold drinks and coffee-specialities. The food truck is open Mondays through Fridays from 10:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

The ladies and gents hairdressing salon is located in the foyer of the West German Heart Centre. The staff will be happy to cut your hair or wash, dye and perm it as you require. The team is on hand from Tuesday to Friday between 09:00 and 18:00 hrs, and on Saturdays between 09:00 and 14:00 hrs. The salon is closed on Mondays. Where patients are unable to visit the salon, hairdressers are also happy to come to the wards. For this service please make an appointment on ext. 48 79. The salon also offers a wig advisory service especially for cancer patients and will also be happy to visit you on the ward.

Our Ecumenical Hospital Assistance volunteers are on hand to talk with you and provide small acts of assistance to make your stay more pleasant. They are on the wards twice a week. The Green Ladies and Green Gentlemen may be contacted by telephone on ext. 26 26.

The Lost Property Office is located in the Administration Building, Room 1.14, tel. 34 29. You can also enquire about lost property at the Information Office in the foyer.

Naturally, mail can be sent from, and received at, UH Essen. Simply hand your outgoing mail, franked with stamps to the required value, to our nursing staff, and we'll do the rest. Alternatively, you'll find the nearest post office mailbox outside the premises on Hufelandstrasse, right outside the Administration Building.

To enable letters or packages to reach you as quickly as possible, please ask your family and friends to include not just your name, but also the name of the department ("Klinik"), the ward number and your room number.

Example:
Josephine Bloggs
c/o Universitätsklinikum Essen
Traumatology / Unfallchirugie Ward UC 3
Room 121
45122 Essen, Germany

In the case of packages (as opposed to letters) please use postcode 45147 instead of 45122.

A range of accommodation is available for guests wishing to stay near the hospital. UH Essen's own guesthouse has ten mini-apartments on the ground floor of the nurses' high-rise accommodation building. Parents whose children are inpatients at UH Essen will find a home from home at Hundertwasser House in the Grugapark or at the "Elternhaus" accommodation building for parents of child cancer patients.

The Paediatric Department, too, keeps some overnight accommodation for use by parents. Our Accommodation Service is located in the Administration Building, Room 1.14. The staff there can be contacted by telephone on 02 01 / 7 23-34 29.

Essen University Hospital operates two parking garages. The entrance to the Hufelandstraße garage is located next to the University Hospital's main entrance. The second garage is located on Virchowstrasse. Both garages are open every day, around the clock. Current parking fees are posted in the garage or you may call 0201-723-2617 directly from the gate to inquire about rates. Patients and visitors may also purchase lower rate weekly tickets at the gate. Monthly passes must be pre-ordered.

Blood and platelet donors for the Institute for Transfusion Medicine may use the parking garage free of charge.

The Protestant (Lutheran) pastoral care team can be contacted during the week on extensions 26 26 and 16 70, and their Roman Catholic counterparts on extension 26 27. At weekends and on public holidays please contact them if necessary via the nursing staff. If you so request, the pastoral staff will be happy to visit you on the ward. Even if you are a member of a non-Christian religion, the pastoral staff will always offer someone to talk to. The ecumenical chapel is located near the multi-storey car park at the main entrance. It is open during the day. For times of services, please see the information sheet on your bedside table. You can also watch the services on TV channel 16.

The Islamic pastoral care staff can be contacted via the nurses, or directly by telephone on 01 76 / 40 09 10 79. The volunteers are originally from various different countries and are able to conduct pastoral conversations in a variety of languages: German, Turkish, Arabic, Albanian, Italian, Kurdish and English. The Muslim prayer room is open to patients each day between 06:00 and 22:00 hrs. It can be found in Operations Centre I, next to the old pharmacy.

Telephones have been installed on the hospital premises for use by patients and visitors. These payphones accept cards and coins and can be found in the Administration Building and also in the Paediatric & Gynaecology Department.

The use of mobile phones is permitted within the grounds of UH Essen. Upon entering a department or institute, however, mobile phones / smartphones must be switched off because medical equipment may be affected by their radio-wave transmissions.

Cell Phones

Telephone

We require some of your personal information when admitting you to the University Hospital for inpatient or partial inpatient treatment. This will be entered into a computerized system so it can be retrieved at any time during your treatment as necessary.

The privacy of all information regarding your person and your health status is protected not only by our physicians duty to maintain confidentiality, but also by state regulations. The only people with access to your personal information are the physicians and nurses involved in your care.

Your personal information will be shared with others only with your permission, e.g., for purposes of automated meal planning, for archiving it on microfiches, and for remote data maintenance activities.

To help you feel at home during your stay, your room is also equipped with telephone, radio and TV facilities. Radios are mounted on your bedside table's media console.

For EUR 3.90 per day you can have the benefit of

• unlimited telephone calls to all German landlines and mobile numbers (excluding 0800 and premium numbers),
• over 20 public and private-sector TV channels,
• several Sky channels, including "Sky Bundesliga" (German Premier League),
• selected radio stations,
• and Internet (if TV has Internet functionality).

For mobile devices such as iPads, Wi-Fi is available and can be booked for an extra EUR 2.50 per day.

To make calls you need a smart card which can be purchased at the ticket vending machines on the premises. These are located in all major buildings on the UH Essen campus: Administration (LG), OZ I (GR), ENT (LG), Department of Medicine (GR), Radiotherapy Department (GR), Gynaecology Department (foyer), OZ II (GR), Heart Centre (GR) and Paediatric Department (GR). For the location of each building, please refer to the flyer "Everything at a glance": Your guide". The smart card is issued in return for a EUR 4.00 deposit which is fully refundable. Your telephone account may be topped up at the adjacent payment machine using 5, 10 or 20 euro notes.

Information on how to operate the equipment can be found on your bedside table. To enable you and your neighbours to use TV and radio facilities without disturbing each other, sound is channelled through headphones-only in multi-occupancy rooms. They come equipped with a conventional jack-plug. Headphones may be purchased from the vending machines located as per the telephone card vending machines.

We regret that for fire safety reasons the use of patients' own television sets is not permitted.

For further information, please refer to the flyer "TV / Telephone - and more". In the event of any queries, please contact the Rottmeir service team on extension 79 92 or by calling externally on 02 01 / 7 23-79 92. If you are a patient with optional benefits, you will get more information during your admission.

The UH Essen restaurant is open to all visitors Monday to Friday from 06:30 to 16:00 hrs and on Saturdays from 07:45 to 16:00 hrs. On Sundays and on public holidays, the team is on hand from 11:30 to 16:30 hrs. The restaurant facilities are located in the upper floor of the kitchen building. As well as a sumptuous breakfast buffet, the restaurant also serves cake, snacks, salads and a wide range of beverages. At lunchtime there are up to five main courses to choose from, including a vegetarian option.

Each bed in a room comes with a bedside table, a personal wardrobe, a staff call system with built-in striplight, and a telephone and radio. You'll find user instructions for the TV and radio in the drawer of the bedside table. We recommend you keep only small amounts of ready cash with you. Your valuables can be deposited with the ward staff.
If you're sharing a room with one or more other patients, please try to be considerate of each other.

The "Ruhrland School - a school for patients" is a public-sector school. Teachers trained for all types of educational establishment are available to teach your child in the event of a chronic illness or prolonged hospital stay. In consultation with case doctors, tuition will take account of your child's state of health and current needs. Tuition is provided either individually or in groups, in the school building, in hospital-based school facilities or by the bedside. For detailed information, please contact the secretary's office at Ruhrland School on 02 01 / 70 50 23.

Internet: http://www.ruhrlandschule.uni-duisburg-essen.de/ (Information in German only).

Smoking is prohibited in all buildings.

Working alongside medical care, the social services function is an essential component of patient care. We will help and support you in all matters arising in connection with medical condition and its treatment, and which represent a significant impact on your life. In addition to this, we also offer counselling services to complement the outpatient offerings and comprehensive treatment offered by the West German Cancer Centre (WTZ).

An acute or chronic medical condition or disability also brings with it psychological and emotional stresses which can potentially impact you and your family on a personal, professional or social level. Our trained counsellors and psychologists are on hand to help you in the process of dealing with your medical condition, to relieve anxiety and to come alongside you to help find answers and solutions. All discussions take place in a safe, confidential setting. 

A properly organised approach to discharging patients is essential in ensuring that patients continue to get the medical treatment and care they need once their stay with us draws to a close. Based on your individual requirements, and in close coordination with the entire treatment team, we will identify a made-to-measure assistance plan to ensure you continue to receive the care and support you need after leaving hospital.

The consulting hours are weekdays between 08:30 and 09:30 hrs, and also by arrangement. Initial contact may be made via ward staff. Alternatively, if you prefer, feel free to call us in person on ext. 37 26.

To help you feel at home during your stay, your room is also equipped with telephone, radio and TV facilities. Radios are mounted on your bedside table's media console.

For EUR 3.90 per day you can have the benefit of 

• unlimited telephone calls to all German landlines and mobile numbers (excluding 0800 and premium numbers), 
• over 20 public and private-sector TV channels, 
• several Sky channels, including "Sky Bundesliga" (German Premier League), 
• selected radio stations, 
• and Internet (if TV has Internet functionality).

For mobile devices such as iPads, Wi-Fi is available and can be booked for an extra EUR 2.50 per day. 

To make calls you need a smart card which can be purchased at the ticket vending machines on the premises. These are located in all major buildings on the UH Essen campus: Administration (LG), OZ I (GR), ENT (LG), Department of Medicine (GR), Radiotherapy Department (GR), Gynaecology Department (foyer), OZ II (GR), Heart Centre (GR) and Paediatric Department (GR). For the location of each building, please refer to the flyer "Everything at a glance": Your guide". The smart card is issued in return for a EUR 4.00 deposit which is fully refundable. Your telephone account may be topped up at the adjacent payment machine using 5, 10 or 20 euro notes.

Information on how to operate the equipment can be found on your bedside table. To enable you and your neighbours to use TV and radio facilities without disturbing each other, sound is channelled through headphones-only in multi-occupancy rooms. They come equipped with a conventional jack-plug. Headphones may be purchased from the vending machines located as per the telephone card vending machines.

We regret that for fire safety reasons the use of patients' own television sets is not permitted.

For further information, please refer to the flyer "TV / Telephone - and more". In the event of any queries, please contact the Rottmeir service team on extension 79 92 or by calling externally on 02 01 / 7 23-79 92.

For the duration of your hospital stay you may deposit your valuables at the central admissions office in a deposit box. You may also deposit valuables with the staff in your ward.

We recommend that you carry only small amounts of cash.

Please remember to take your personal belongings with you at discharge time. Also remember valuables that you may have deposited in your ward or with the administrative office.

The vending area is located across from the information desk in the entrance hall of Surgical Center II. It offers newspapers and magazines, fruit, drinks, candy, stamps, phone cards for payphones, toiletry items, toys, and many other items. If you are unable to find something that you need, please ask the sales staff?they welcome your suggestions for expanding the selection.

Hours of Operation:

Mondays through Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays between 10:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Vending machines offering hot and cold drinks and snacks are available to all patients and visitors and can be found in the outpatient units and the Administration Building. You are also welcome to use any of the water dispensers in many outpatient and waiting areas.

To ensure you and your fellow patients have the peace and quiet you need, daily visiting hours end at 20:30 hrs (some exceptions may be permitted). Please bear in mind that a maximum of three people may visit at any one time. Thank you!