"haematology"

Anything else?

Our appointment letter told us to check in at main outpatients but when we did so we were told this was not right and sent elsewhere. The consultant is in a different building to the dept where bloods are taken - going in and out on a snowy day, with my husband in a wheelchair was unpleasant. The walkways are not covered.

We asked for directions but just got a vague wave of the hand from the phlebotomist. When we went into her room to have bloods taken the wall had lots of jokey notices up saying how stressed she was and she had not got time to be nice to anyone. Yes they were jokes but very off-putting and unprofessional.

The consultation with the specialist was fine - he took time to answer our questions very clearly and explain options carefully.He also took the trouble to find out something about my husbands background and level of understanding of his condition.

Patient transport was a nightmare. The ambulance was cold and let in the wet. The staff complained about their job all the time. We waited over two hours to go home.

I got a sense that the doctors and nurses are committed to giving a good service to patients but they are let down by uncaring support staff and badly managed buildings.