HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH PATIENTS ON INITIAL CONTACT
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It is advisable to have a spiel ready upon a first approach to a patient.
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Introduce yourself and explain that you are a volunteer with Hospital Radio Norwich,
the patients broadcasting service. You may present your ID badge to the patient if
you wish to.
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You could say………………………
“Hello [or good evening] I’m visiting you and other patients to ask if we can play you your
favourite song or music on our request show this evening on Hospital Radio Norwich.
Special songs/music are broadcast to our patients during the Request Programme which
goes live from 7.30 pm – 9.30 p.m. and I’m collecting requested songs for the half hour
between [for example] 8.00 – 8.30 p.m. Or perhaps you would like a dedication played for
the ward or staff. You can even have a poem read to you.
We do tend to break the two hours up into half-hour slots so patients do not have to
listen to the whole programme if they do not wish to. [They often fall asleep whilst
listening.]
Did you know that a radio is available on the extended arm by your bedside and that it is
a free service. If you wish to watch the TV or to use the phone, then a freedom card
needs to be purchased. However if you would just like the radio then I can connect this
up for you, tune you in, check the signal and the volume for your comfort.”
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What you have to be prepared for is for many patients to say no. Bear in mind that
people are not well, worried about themselves and disorientated through seeing the
same scene day and night.
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Some wards are more difficult to collect requests than others depending on why they
are in hospital. The orthopaedic wards and heart ward tend to produce more
requests but it is never the same twice and is not really a yard stick by which to
measure.
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Each month a ward analysis is undertaken by our Music Librarian to show the amount
of requests collected per month and which ward produces the most.

The amount of requests collected each month is in the region of 600-650 requests
which tells us how popular we are.

Hospital Radio Norwich has been the most listened to station on the Patient-line
system for some years and this is borne out by a monthly print-out received from
Patient-line.