Report on patient experience at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton
What we did
This work in Wandsworth was undertaken as part of a Healthwatch England (HWE) research study to look at Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) across England. Little is known about the patient experience of CDCs.
Our Enter and View objectives were defined by Healthwatch England. We want to understand what about CDCs is working well, for whom, and what could be improved as more CDCs are rolled out. We will explore different aspects of the patient experience, particularly:
- Accessibility
- Expectations
- Choice
- Quality
What we found
Accessibility
Patient experience of the accessibility of Queen Mary’s Hospital was varied. Issues mainly revolved around the length of travel if utilising public transport from certain areas in Wandsworth borough
Patient experience
Patients’ experiences of referral and of waiting time was varied due to the differing nature of the tests/scans being undertaken.
Patient experience of the diagnostic testing procedure was mainly positive. The majority of patients felt well informed about what to expect from their appointment. 13 out of 16 respondents’ appointments were on time.
All 16 respondents spoke positively about their interactions with staff: that they were pleasant and communicated effectively with them, answering any questions or queries they had.
Our recommendations
We made the following recommendations for improvements:
- Clearer signage outside the hospital, both to get to the site and to signpost parking.
- Clearer signage inside the hospital to update the location of departments and remove confusing signs to services which are no longer provided.
- A separate waiting area for people who have changed into gowns away from the main thoroughfare in the Radiology department.
- ICB (Integrated Care Board) to consider how to offer more choice of location to patients for whom QMH is not convenient.
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's Response
Trust Chief Executive, Kate Slemeck has welcomed Healthwatch Wandsworth’s recent Enter and View session at Queen Mary’s Hospital. In response she said:
"We are pleased to see that the overwhelming majority of feedback received was positive. We work to ensure our facilities meet the needs of our patients, their families and carers, and of course our staff. We are also extremely proud of our services at Queen Mary’s Hospital."
“We would like to thank Healthwatch Wandsworth for conducting such an extensive review. In terms of feedback on areas for improvement, we are actively working with colleagues and other stakeholders to continue to make our sites and services the best they can possibly be for patients and their families.”
"The report helpfully makes a number of recommendations. These include around areas such as the provision of a private patient waiting area in the Radiology Department, signage to the site and for parking and directions within the hospital itself. The Trust is reviewing each of these areas and seeking to make improvements as a priority."
You can read the full response in the report below.
