"Staff friendliness and politeness. ..."

What I liked

Staff friendliness and politeness. I like the opportunity to purchase a cup of tea at the bar, before or after my appointment.

What could be improved

The quality of lighting in the Warfarin Clinic is too dull. The seats are too low - especially for elderly people who sometimes struggle to alight from a chair. All chairs should have arm rests to aid being able to alight from the chair. The floor plan needs to be modified to allow for an easier travel - through to registration for mobile scooters or wheelchairs in particular. Re-positioning the Warfarin Clinic so that it is not so distant from the entrance doors (to the Nuffield Diagnostic Centre) would also help certain patients. Better organised registration process needs to be implemented, rather than a member of staff having to 'peruse the register' for that 'elusive name', perhaps a numerical code rather than using a person’s surname in alphabetical order would allow for a more efficient registration or even a form of scanning the actual bar code as it appears on the front of the Yellow Warfarin Book, may assist. You could even create a 'new' NHS Yellow swipe card for Warfarin Patients which could also serve as being their means of identifying with taking Warfarin (which they carry with them at all times). Lastly, any further appointments to see a Practitioner at the Nuffield Diagnostic Centre would best be managed by the consultant - via PC. This would save having to take a slip of paper to the receptionist upon leaving the Centre, which I find demeaning, ie. 'see you in six months time' does not sound particularly pleasant (in a public space) - it is almost like 'clocking in' and then subsequently, 'clocking out' which I find insensitive (in public) on the part of a healthcare service.

Anything else?

You could confer with WHSmith who produce plastic wallets for A4 documents with a view to producing an A5 (approx.) size plastic wallet to help the Warfarin patients to maintain their Yellow Warfarin Book in good condition rather than developing wear and tear marks which spoil the experience of identification at the point of registration, which should incur a pleasant welcoming experience. Less posters on health issues as well as less literature in which few people show any interest. Perhaps a brighter colour scheme as well as sensible artwork would be more appropriate. The children’s crèche area needs some attention to become a worthwhile proposition rather than a 'climbing castle' which is too large for such a close confine of floor space. Perhaps a simple play area involving abacas type teaching aids would be more appropriate. Also, more privacy during the period in which the blood sample is taken, for which I would prefer a single room, as with the neighbouring Blood Clinic.

The card system (as collected upon entry to the Blood Clinic) of identifying with the caller (from the Blood Clinic) leads to confusion when some cards are returned unused and misplaced (within the stack), which then upset the numerical sequence for another Patient to negotiate. A better system would be a numerical 'tear off ticket'. This would also assure that the tickets are fresh although this may present a litter problem, depending on the Public use of this facility.

I think that a separate and more dignified area for Patients who need to visit the Corby Minor Injuries Unit would also be appreciated, rather than patients having to bypass a group of Patients who are waiting to visit the Blood Clinic - especially if they are on crutches and showing signs of physical and/or emotional pain or discomfort. A separate area for Patients to be seen by the Corby Minor Injuries Unit would also assist with identifying and managing this service for the benefit of the Patients themselves.