Enter and view: Westmorland General Hospital Outpatients Department

Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness undertook an announced enter and view visit to Westmorland General Hospital Outpatients Department on 29 January 2024 to assess patient views of the Community Diagnostic Centre there.  They were commissioned by Healthwatch England to do so.  They spoke to 10 patients and five staff.

In general, patients were happy with the care they received when at the Outpatients department stating how kind and caring the staff were, how promptly they were seen for their appointments and how important it was to attend appointments locally. 

On-site, fee-paying parking was available close to the hospital’s entrance with clear signage to the hospital and sufficient accessible parking adjacent to each entrance. 

Signage throughout the site was clear with dementia-friendly signage outside bathrooms, along with the use of Braille for the visually impaired. There were notice boards within the main waiting area and at the X-ray reception and posters with the Accessible Information Standard in several locations on-site. Hearing loops were installed in only one reception area though, and we were informed by staff that this was not turned on. The waiting areas were clean, spacious, and light, and refreshments were available to purchase. The corridors were mostly uncluttered, allowing ease of access for wheelchair users and patients with limited mobility.

Appointments were running smoothly and on time, with minimal disruption. Patients were very complimentary about the level of care they received while at the site. When speaking with staff, accessibility to the MRI scanning unit was discussed. Currently patients who cannot bear their own weight are unable to use the unit and are offered appointments at the trust’s other hospitals in Lancaster and Barrow-inFurness. When the dedicated CDC opens all patients will be able to use the new MRI suite at WGH. The expectation is that patients will be able to have multiple tests on the same day