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the staff are excellent but problems with appointments

Posted By Click761

"the staff are excellent but problems with appointments"

About: Derriford Hospital Livewell Southwest

(as the patient),

I could have put 5s to each question but you may have doubted my understanding.

I am fortunate I have good doctors and receptionists at my surgery. They are quick to act when I have a problem.

I feel Derriford waiting time, when you are there for an appointment, has improved. The one I found “stretched out” was the endoscopy dept. My last experience there left me with an adamant “never again” which I have stuck to.

Mount Gould is a dream. No parking problems. Atmosphere much quieter and calmer.

Derriford parking for blue badge holders is difficult, the drop off area is filled with cars or taxis waiting. You can only park as close as you can and if you are in a wheelchair, as I am, and it is raining it is not nice.

Eye infirmary is awful, parking is not a problem for us as we use the carpark across the railway line. Waiting for your appointment is a nightmare, you are fortunate if you don’t have to wait for an hour or more! We found they double book appointments after conversations with other patients.

As you may gather, I have used all three hospitals since I retired. The staff are excellent and friendly. My trouble with doctors and the appointment system is that if they are not from this country I struggle to understand them and the words they use have a different meaning to us iee my heart was stopping when it was pausing.

I can’t contact the eye infirmary appointment dept.

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Responses

Response from Mary Anderson, Senior Quality Facilitator, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust 11 years ago
Mary Anderson
Senior Quality Facilitator,
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Submitted on 25/01/2013 at 17:08
Published on Care Opinion at 17:35

Good afternoon,

Firstly, may I apologise for the delay in responding to your posting which relates to several areas around the Plymouth Hospitals site.

I am sorry that your appointment within the Endoscopy Department was delayed. The Matron of the area has advised me that the department team is working towards reducing waiting times. However, as you will no doubt appreciate, the Endoscopy Department receives a significant number of emergency cases and when an emergency is admitted they have to take clinical priority. This will unfortunately result in an unavoidable delay for some pre-booked patients. Nonetheless, we certainly apologise that you were not kept better informed with regard to the reason for the delay.

In regard to parking, you will no doubt be aware that we are welcoming the Royal Eye Infirmary team to our Derriford site this week. The Head of SIte and Environmental Services has advised that the Trust is currently planning a new large car park for blue badge holders next to the main outpatients. This is in conjunction with our Patient Access Forum with representatives of patients and various disabled groups. Patients for the REI will be directed to public car park C to use the existing spaces. Additional spaces will also be released in June when the current construction compound is removed.

I apologise again for the difficulties and delays you have experienced during your visits to the Trust and hope this information will be of some reassurance to you.

Kind regards

Mary

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