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Care Opinion

Would recommend

Story from nhs.uk

"Would recommend"

About: Altrincham General Hospital

What I liked

I am being treated for Acne. I have had wonderful treatment for what some deem to be a trivial problem, which can actually deeply affect a person's mental & physical well being. Not once was I treated like I was wasting anyone's time & for the first time in over 20 years someone has actually listened to me & not just given me the usual treatments which have never worked on the numerous times I have taken them.

What could be improved

I have a severe needle phobia & the first 2 times I had blood taken were brilliant, very quick & very well trained. However, the 3rd visit coincided with a blood test clinic & I had to wait for (what felt like) a huge amount of time. My anxiety levels & blood pressure were through the roof by the time I was seen to & I was nearly hysterical. My time waiting was only reduced by another patient who swapped his ticket with mine so I would be seen sooner.

The only issue I have had is not so much with the hospital itself, but with the NHS in general. I ideally need the results of the blood test before I go to my appointment, but I live a long way away & I am on Job Seekers Allowance at the moment so cannot afford to be traveling over there all the time. My local clinic refuse to do this test for my appointment as the hospital is in Trafford & my clinic is in Stockport, citing they are different trusts. I am very sorry, but us patients do not care about things like this, to us you are the NHS!

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Responses

Response from Altrincham General Hospital 12 years ago
Altrincham General Hospital

Submitted on 13/12/2011 at 11:19
Published on nhs.uk on 14/12/2011 at 04:00

Thank you for your posting. We were glad to read of your good experience from our Dermatology Service, but we were saddened to read of your high anxiety levels on your third visit to the blood test clinic.

We have passed your comments regarding the Dermatology Service to the appropriate staff, as it is always helpful to know of the experiences patients have benefitted from.

In regard to the blood clinic, on a Wednesday and Friday morning, the blood test clinic also care for patients who need to attend the Warfarin clinic, and due to the high attendance on those mornings, unfortunately there can sometimes be a long wait to be seen. That being said, if staff are aware of a patient who has a severe needle phobia, arrangements can be made to accommodate the patient in order to reduce stress levels as much as possible. We would ask you to discuss this with the doctor referring you for a blood test, in order for the doctor to make Phlebotomy Staff aware of your needs.

If you would like to receive more specific feedback regarding your particular experience on that day, we would request that you contact our Patient Experience Team (tel 0161 746 2019, or email pals@trafford.nhs.uk) and they would be happy to help you.

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