Know Your Care®01 · People
Who is looking after me?
Hospitals have many different staff members. Explore their roles, what they do and uniforms you might see. Uniforms and responsibilities may differ between hospitals.
Patient information · Free to use
Understanding what happens in hospital
Hospital visits can involve unfamiliar people, places and medical words. Know Your Care helps patients, families and carers explore who does what and understand what may happen during different hospital journeys.
What happens in your care may be different. Your hospital team can explain your own situation.
What would you like to understand?
The free Know Your Care app brings together general information to help you feel more familiar with hospital care.
02 · Journeys
What might happen at my appointment?
Explore general guides to common hospital experiences, including day surgery, maternity care and other journeys. The stages explain what may happen, not what will happen to every person.
03 · Language
What does that medical word mean?
Find plain-language explanations of common words and phrases you might hear in hospital. You can also ask your healthcare team to explain anything that is unclear.
Questions you can ask your healthcare team
You don't need to know all the hospital terminology. If something is confusing, it is reasonable to ask for an explanation.
About the people you meet
- What is your role in my care?
- Who should I ask if I have a question?
- Who can help if I need information in another language or format?
About your hospital visit
- What happens next for me?
- Is there anything I need to prepare?
- Who can explain the plan before I leave?
Different ways to access information
Know Your Care includes information in a range of languages and Easy Read examples for selected journeys. Your hospital's local information and the availability of particular journeys can vary. Ask your healthcare team if you need an interpreter or accessible information.
Important to know
Know Your Care is general educational information. It is not a substitute for personalised advice, consent discussions, local hospital instructions or urgent medical help. If you have a question about your own care, speak to your clinical team. If you need urgent medical assistance, use the appropriate local urgent or emergency service.
Open Know Your Care to browse the full app, or find out about Know Your Care for hospitals.