Enter and view: The eye clinic – Sandwell General Hospital

Healthwatch Sandwell undertook an Enter and View visit of the Eye Clinic at Sandwell General Hospital on 13 June 2023. During the visit, they spoke to 6 patients and 3 members of staff. The purpose of the visit was to observe the environment and explore first-hand with patients their experiences of using the Eye Clinic.

The entrance to the Eye Clinic was signposted from entering the main reception to the Outpatients. The waiting area had a comfortable seating area. There were notice boards and a good supply of relevant information in leaflet holders.

The patients gave extremely positive feedback about the service. All were happy with the service and rated it as excellent, and 50% were ‘very likely’ and 33% ‘likely’ to recommend this service to friends and family. 17% did not answer this question. 50% of patients found the booking system very easy. 83% said that all their questions were answered.

Patients described their first impression of the clinic as good and in good condition. However, one patient thought it was dated and need homely pictures.

The majority of the patients had no problems finding the clinic, however the letter they had received said they had to go to Ophthalmic Clinic which some patients found confusing as they would prefer to see the title as the Eye Clinic to correlate with the signage outside the clinic.

Patients described staff as ‘friendly’ and ‘very good’. They were described as ‘very understanding’ by all patients and that they showed empathy. 100% felt they have been listened to around their health needs.

The report has made several recommendations around accessibility, information, and passenger transport among others. Feedback from the provider is included in the report.