Enter and view: Diana Princess of Wales Hospital

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire gather information on people’s experiences of health and social care services and there are times when it is appropriate for Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire to see and hear for themselves how services are being delivered: these visits are called ‘Enter and View’, they are not inspections.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire visited the Out-patients (Zones 1-4) at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby on 19 October 2015.

The summary of findings highlighted areas in relation to patient feedback, staff feedback and observation. They interviewed a total of 31 out-patients across the four out-patient zones (Ophthalmology, ENT, Oncology and Gastro-enterology) . The main issues regarding patient experiences were around: Inconsistency in clinicians introducing themselves to patients. Length of wait to be seen especially in Zone 1. Appointment cancellations creating delays in being seen. Information updates on anticipated length of wait. Availability of magazines or other media while waiting.

Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire were generally happy with the standards of care across out-patients and the levels of positive patient satisfaction. They would want particularly to congratulate staff on the high standards of décor and cleanliness, levels of safety and universal wearing of ID badges.