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Care Opinion

Very disappointing experience

Story from nhs.uk

"Very disappointing experience"

About: Altrincham General Hospital

1. Gutter leaking over the entrance. It was dry on the pavement but sopping wet under the eaves, and pouring in, virtually inside the hospital. This building is three weeks old. 2. No signage. There were no signs to indicate where to check in and, 3. No receptionist. Three groups of customers were wandering about trying to figure out how to get some attention. 4. Surly and negative attitude. When a receptionist deigned to service us, they first told us we were in the wrong hospital. But didn't suggest where we needed to be, just tried to make us look stupid. This receptionist was frustrated as children had slapped the desk which clearly caused them to be angry, they knew we were waiting but deliberately stayed in the side office to avoid service care. I informed them they weren't being very helpful and revived a very hostile interaction . 5. Time wasting. Then we were booked in to see someone else who explained we were in the wrong hospital and that they couldn't do anything for us. I don't use hospitals very often, in fact I do everything possible to avoid them, and I haven't made a study of the myriad rules and regulations that the health service has now. So when I am trying to get some assistance, in what I consider to be an emergency, I need that to come from the people that are supposed to know. The staff.

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Responses

Response from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust 8 years ago
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 14/07/2015 at 11:55
Published on Care Opinion at 13:26

Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to learn that your experience when visiting the new hospital was not as positive as we would hope. It is important to us that comments are heard and seen as an opportunity provided to the service to make changes and improvements wherever possible.

The new building has had some ‘snagging’ issues including the leaking canopy over the entrance. This has now been resolved.

The signage for the new hospital has been completely reviewed. We have involved patients and staff in this review and are pleased to report that new signs are on order.

We are very sorry that the reception team were not as welcoming as we would expect. We are currently reviewing the administration and clerical staffing levels and have recruited 2 additional receptionists. We are also recruiting volunteer staff to assist with way finding on both the ground and first floors. We have planned customer service training for all receptionists and your comments have been raised with the reception staff who have been asked to reflect upon the impact their attitude has on customers at what can be a distressing and stressful time. On behalf of the Trust please accept our apologies and assurance that your comments have been taken seriously and acted upon.

The Patient Experience Team

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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