Referral to the hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) unit

You have been referred to the Cambridge surgical hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The Cambridge surgical HPB unit is the regional centre for liver, biliary and pancreatic cancer surgery.

Admission to hospital can be a very stressful experience for you and your family; we will try to do what we can to help support you during this time.

This leaflet outlines some basic information about what to bring with you when you are admitted for your surgery and what to prepare for when you are discharged. If you have any questions throughout your treatment at Addenbrooke’s, please contact the clinical nurse specialist team.

Consultants: Mr Asif Jah, Mr Raaj Praseedom, Mr Emmanuel Huguet, Mr Siong Seng Liau, Mr Simon Harper, Miss Anita Balakrishnan, Mr Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis, Mr Jack Martin.
Secretaries: 01223 257074 / 01223 217862
Clinical nurse specialist team: 01223 256147
HPB administrator: 01223 257103

What to prepare and bring for your upcoming surgery

✔ Your consent form (if you have been given one). You will have the opportunity to ask any questions to the surgeons or anaesthetist when you are admitted.
✔ All your regular medications (including patches, creams and herbal remedies), including your GP prescription.
✔ Please wear comfortable and loose fitting clothes. Pack a dressing gown, set of pyjamas/nighties, slippers and toiletries.
✔ Please bring your eyeglasses and/or hearing aids as appropriate.
✔ Bring something to read or do (for example, book, magazine, Kindle).
✔ Bring a smartphone or iPad.

Visiting times

As the visiting policy continues to change at present, visitors will need to liaise with the nurse in charge to arrange a visiting time. Please refer to the diagram at the end of this leaflet for the ward area contact numbers.

Leaving the hospital

The length of your stay in hospital will depend on how quickly you recover from your operation. Usually you will be able to go home seven to 12 days after the operation. The date of discharge you will be given is an estimate not a definite as clinical decisions about you may change whilst you are an inpatient.

You will need to be discharged by the multidisciplinary team prior to going home. This will include the dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other members of the team who have had special input in your care.

Support at home

We will aim to discharge you as independent as you were before the surgery, taking into consideration that you will need to take things easy as you will feel tired. It is best to set up support with family and friends for the first few weeks after discharge. Try to arrange who will do food shopping and think about stocking up on essentials before you are admitted for surgery. If you think you will need extra help, inform your nursing team and they will assess and refer you accordingly.

Returning to work

It may take many weeks, stretching into months, before you can get back to work. This is also dependent on the nature of your work. You can discuss this with your surgeon at your surgical follow-up check, and this may be further reviewed along the way.

Are you a carer?

If you have caring responsibilities for others, it is important that you allow yourself to recover safely before resuming caring duties. We encourage you to visit:

• gov.uk website (opens in a new tab)
• Carers UK website (opens in a new tab) (0808 808 7777)

for information on how to get help and advice. Before admission to hospital, make an appointment with your GP to discuss what help can be offered in the community for the person you care for before and after you return home.

Ward area contact numbers

• Outpatients Clinic 1A, 2, 4 and 4A – 01223 806000
• Pre Assessment / Day Surgery – 01223 216545
• Intensive Overnight Recovery (IOR) – 01223 216733
• Intermediate Dependency Area (IDA) – 01223 217873
• Ward M4 – 01223 348537

Privacy and dignity

Same sex bays and bathrooms are offered in all wards except critical care and theatre recovery areas where the use of high-tech equipment and/or specialist one-to-one care is required.