Mystery shopping at Ripley Hospital

Healthwatch Derbyshire carried out a mystery shop exercise at Ripley Hospital’s phlebotomy clinic in 2019 using two volunteers with learning disabilities. Overall, the hospital was easy to find and reception staff were described as friendly and helpful. Volunteers also found the hospital environment clean and well maintained. However, significant concerns were identified around accessibility, parking and aspects of the patient journey for people with additional needs. 

Parking was the main issue. Both volunteers struggled to find suitable parking, particularly disabled parking spaces, which were all occupied during the visits. One volunteer with mobility difficulties found it hard to reach the hospital entrance safely because parked vehicles blocked pedestrian routes and some pathways were not level. Volunteers also noted that disabled parking spaces were consistently full and that finding alternative parking could be difficult. 

The experience within the phlebotomy clinic was mixed. Volunteers found the waiting area crowded, noisy and sometimes uncomfortable, particularly for people with mobility aids. One volunteer did not initially understand that “Phlebotomy” meant blood tests and found instructions unclear. Waiting times were reported to be lengthy, with one volunteer waiting almost an hour. Concerns were also raised about the ticket system, which relied heavily on number recognition and visual displays and could be difficult for some people with learning disabilities, visual impairments or concentration difficulties. 

Healthwatch concluded that the clinic would benefit from improvements to accessibility and wayfinding. Recommendations included increasing awareness of alternative parking options, improving disabled parking and pedestrian access, making blood test signage clearer, reviewing waiting room capacity and comfort, improving visibility of the ticket system and providing additional support for vulnerable patients attending appointments. Derbyshire Community Health Services and University Hospitals of Derby and Burton accepted the findings and outlined actions to address many of the issues raised.