Hospitals / Acute Care

Cleanliness

There is concern about the cleanliness and general maintenance of hospital wards and departments.

Adequate toilet facilities need to be in place for the elderly to bathe in safety.

Infection prevention and control is important to people in Northamptonshire.

 

Care quality

In hospitals staff do not have a visible presence on wards. Staff tend to congregate in offices.

Nurses should be trained in how to dea with disabled patients who are hospitalised.

There is a lack of knowlege about haemophilia amongst healthcare professionals particularly in A and E and out of hours.

 

Dignity

Single sex wards should be the norm in hospitals.

It is distressing to be moved a number of times during a hospital stay.

Concerns were raised about the quality and standard of food in hospitals.

There needs to be a focus on dignity of care.

A patient complained that the gown she was provided with did not cover her properly.

 

Access

The waiting time for appointments, and in particular for specialist services, is too long.

It is difficult to access hospitals (transport and parking).

Patients drop out of the loop when using the Choose and book services because they cannot chose their hospital.

With each part of the health service having its own board the 18-week journey can in fact stretch into months.

More health facilities in Corby should be provided to prevent people travelling to Leicester or Kettering.

The hospital clinic in Irthlingborough should go ahead.

Healthcare specialist services seem to get further away.

A hospital is needed in Wellingborough.

 

Discharge

There needs to be continuity of care upon discharge from hospital particularly when patients are discharged to residential care.

There are services available upon discharge from hospital but these are difficult to access.

A time delay exists between the doctor discharging a patient and their discharge from hospital.

The transition from health to social care can be difficult.