Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) Healthwatch Kirklees

THE WORST hospital l have ever attended.

Ear Nose and Throat

July 4, 2024

I have numerous diagnosed health problems and whenever l have been to Huddersfield i have been told i don't have them. I am actually questioning whether the staff are actually qualified at all. I intend to exercise my legal right to be referred elsewhere for my treatment, the hospitals where my conditions were actually diagnosed.

Anonymous

Reply from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI)

I am very sorry to hear about your experience at the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
I appreciate your choice and intention to choose to be referred to an alternative health provider for treatment going forward.
Unfortunately through this feedback mechanism we are unable to look specifically into individual cases to understand where we can improve, but if this is something you would be interested in, please can I encourage you to make contact through our PALS team on telephone number 01484 343800?

New A&E at HRI

Accident and emergency services

June 19, 2024

Attended with an older relative on a Sunday evening. Spent 5 hours there in total and I dread to think what a Saturday night would be like. The layout doesn't seem to work - there are multiple doorways/paths into the main waiting area so if you're in a wheelchair which my relative was you feel like you're 'plonked' in the middle of nowhere and in everyone's way. Nurses/clinicians were also calling people's names from 2 different doorways and not always loud enough so I did see people miss their turn. The seating feels too close together - I constantly saw people nearly tripping over feet and legs but at the same time there isn't enough seating (I actually didn't sit down at all during the 5 hour period - initially because I didn't want to take up a patient's seat but then later because there were none available). The 2 vending machines feel to be in an awkward place also and it appeared if you were paying electronically you need a degree in rocket science to operate them. Whilst the A&E has only been open a few weeks, it's already showing general wear including big scuffs on the reception desk frontage where wheelchairs have marked it - down to the design/material used and definitely not a cleaning issue as the cleaners where buzzing up and down all evening sorting things out. The other observation was staffing - there did appear to be enough nursing and reception staff who were keeping up as best they could but what seemed to be lacking were doctors and consultants to prescribe and finalise sign-offs etc. hence the waiting time for treatment was just backing up constantly. When we did finally see a consultant he constantly spoke with me and not directly to my relative even asking me initially if they lived in a care home - I personally found this really insulting and if my relative hadn't felt ill would have also found it annoying at not being addressed directly. His bedside manner felt to be lacking, however, we definitely didn't see that with the nursing staff.

Anonymous

Reply from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI)

I am very sorry to hear about the experience you and your relative had in the A&E Department, and appreciate the time you have taken to share your feedback.

Your feedback is especially valuable with the department recently opening. Much consideration and planning took place to develop the design of the department, including the layout, waiting areas, spaces for wheelchairs and ensuring a variety of chair designs would be available, but your first hand feedback as to what is working well and where we can make improvements is incredibly helpful.

Following your feedback we have spoken with the team in A&E particularly around communication and asked that this remains a focus area to be addressed through regular A&E team meetings. This will include ensuring people are called clearly and followed up if there is no response, noting that as you found when the department is busy the noise and activity level can have a direct impact on people being able to hear clearly.

I sincerely apologise for the experience you and your relative received, with regard to the bedside manner, and questions directed to yourself rather than the patient from some members of the team. This is not the person centred approach which we strive to achieve for every patient visiting the Trust. Senior members of the medical and nursing teams will reflect on your feedback, supported by the Head Nurse of the Urgent and Emergency Care team, to ensure the team work in partnership with patients and their relatives in a respectful manner at all times.

Your feedback around what is working well within the department will be gratefully received by the A&E team, and we will continue to ensure that any opportunities to provide high quality and safe care by the combined team are adopted to improve the experience of patients and their loved ones.

Thank you for drawing our attention to how it felt to be seated in a wheelchair within the department at a busy time. We will review how we can improve the availability of wheelchair spaces in waiting areas as the need fluctuates, in addition to sufficient seating, and consider how we can make the layout easier to manage. This will be reviewed alongside your concerns regarding the signs of wear and tear as part of the A&E post-opening process.

Your feedback has already helped us greatly, but if you have any further suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me on telephone number: 01484 343800

Opthalmology - Acre Mills

May 21, 2024

Attended an eye appointment had no letter explaining what would happen just a text
with the appointment date and time , wasn't told i may be given eye drops so drove there myself. Could not have the eye drops so a wasted trip. Still waiting for a new appointment . Communication needs to be improved i.e a letter needs to be sent out and explanation of what will happen on the day . The staff who saw me were all extremely pleasant and helpful on the day .

Anonymous

Reply from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI)

I am very sorry to read that you had a wasted trip to the eye clinic. Usually when we send an appointment by text there is a link to a letter which contains the additional information required.
Please accept our apologies that this was not the case when you received an appointment by text message. I do hope you have now received another appointment.
I have shared your feedback with the appointment team and eye clinic team, to ensure we make sure this does not happen again. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention.

Phlebotomy Appointments

Phlebotomy

May 13, 2024

I have been on hold for 1hr 10 mins on my mobile phone Caller 16 to finally get to 1 to have a message say unable to take call . Terrible ! This needs sorting immediately. And why not have a call back service instead of leaving people waiting so long . Surely This should be standard procedure now for all nhs services .

Anonymous

Reply from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI)

I am very sorry to hear of your experience when phoning the phlebotomy helpline. I appreciate that waiting over an hour, and the call ending without offering you an opportunity to arrange an appointment is frustrating, and it is not the service that the phlebotomy team strives to provide.

Following your feedback we have worked with our team at the hospital and with specific GP partners to agree changes to the process patients requiring blood tests follow. We anticipate the changes will be in place within the next month, and that these will ensure that your experience is not repeated.

Thank you very much for highlighting this issue, as it has directly led to actions which will improve the experience of care for many patients requiring blood tests at the hospital.

Excellent.

Outpatients

December 7, 2023

From the consultant to the receptionist to the pharmacy staff - approachable, professional and efficient . Really exceeded my expectations.

DM

brilliant

November 13, 2023

staff helpful , had lots of support in past.
Medical secretaries very good

Anonymous

Care for my dad has been exceptional

Other

September 16, 2023

Care for my dad has been exceptional, during covid it was harder. We were transferred from Calderdale royal (and the car park there is much worse than Huddersfield) My mum was given a carer lanyard which my mum thinks is good. The care is very attentive, he'll be moving from here to a nursing home.
The only downside is the position of the end of life/palliative care ward, its not best placed within the main area of the hospital.

Anonymous

Well organised!

Ear Nose and Throat

September 16, 2023

I come here to see the ENT department. They are well organised. I use the system online and its straight forward and has my health checks on there too.

Anonymous

Good service, very helpful!

September 16, 2023

I've been coming here for the past 16 weeks and coming to stay for 2 or 3 nights regularly since then. The service is good and everyone is very helpful and professional. Only suggestion is they could do with improving the building to make it newer if possible.

Anonymous

Excellent service & care

Other

September 16, 2023

Our daughter was admitted here unexpectedly a few days ago. She came into A&E and then was admitted onto Ward 9 - Acute. She will be transferred to Halifax hospital soon. We carry a carers card and we've been allowed to visit and get free parking. They offer us tea and coffee and free meals if they have any extra available. We can come and go as needed. We can see they are short staffed, but they never stop. Sometimes we don't see the Dr as much as we like, but consultant has been very good and even when he's leaving in the evening, he'll make a special visit over to our daughter and check how she's doing. The only down side is the Dr's visits are hit and miss. But the nurses are very good and they do give us all the information if we go and ask them.

Anonymous

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI)