Three Hospitals: Three Weeks: Patient experiences at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn
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During 22nd to 26th May 2023 Healthwatch Norfolk visited The Queen Elizabeth Hospital every day to find out about patient experience. They wanted to find out what was working well and what could be better. They visited outpatient clinics, patients on wards, and Accident and Emergency to speak with patients, their carers, and their visitors. They heard from 512 people altogether.
Most people they heard from were happy with their experience at the hospital. People often able to find their way around the hospital and information about their care was explained to them in a way they understand. Staff were praised for being kind, helpful, and friendly and some patients told about experiences where they went above and beyond for them.
The main suggestion for improvement was around parking, this included not having enough spaces including disabled spaces, having to pay when they arrive especially when they did not always know how long they would be at the hospital, and the bays not being wide enough.
In Accident and Emergency patients told about frustrations with the waiting time and the comfort of the waiting room including it being warm and stuffy, chairs being uncomfortable, and a broken drinks machine.
On inpatient wards Healthwatch heard that most people felt well communicated with and that they could easily contact someone if they had any questions. However, they heard that some food choices were limited for people with specialist dietary requirements. Healthwatch also heard some specific suggestions for improving comfort on the ward such as having a television or phone on wards, longer gowns for more dignity, and having enough toilets available for patients.
Letters received for outpatients’ clinics were often easy and clear to understand and included all the information that patients needed. Many patients felt that their care was explained to them well and they felt involved in decisions. There were mixed experiences with waiting times for clinics, one of the biggest frustrations was when they had to wait a long while or clinics were running behind.