Mr Smith's outpatients appointment

Mr Smith is a fictional patient. The following account records his experience at a fictional hospital. Although there are some wonderful outpatient departments around the country, not everyone receives the care bestowed upon Mr Smith. Our hope is that some day,sooner rather than later, all hospitals will adopt some, if not all,of the simple practices shown below. Who knows, maybe your treatment has been even better than this. We truly hope so!

One day Mr Smith had to go to the hospital for an outpatient appointment. The letter from the consultant included a map of how to get to the hospital, a plan of the hospital indicating which department he needed to get to and which car park he should use.

He was also advised about car park fees. Other transport options were also explained including the opportunity to book a volunteer driver if he didn't feel up to driving himself. He was advised to look at the outpatient advice on the 'hospitalhelp.co.uk' website and, following their advice, on the day of the appointment he arranged to have the whole afternoon free to avoid being stressed by unforeseen delays, he made sure he had plenty of change for the ticket machine in the car park, a pad and pencil in case he thought of any last minute questions and a good book to read in the waiting room.

When he arrived, it was raining and the car park was very full. As he wasn’t feeling his best, he was delighted to meet a volunteer at the car park entrance to help him find a space. The volunteer also pointed out the ticket machine and offered to loan him an umbrella. He then pointed out the right entrance for his appointment.

When Mr Smith reached the entrance another volunteer offered to help him find where he needed to go. He was able to take him part of the way until Mr Smith was confident he could manage the rest. Along the corridor, clear colour-coded signs on the wall and floor made the route easy to understand. Here and there along the wall cheerful posters welcomed Mr Smith to the hospital and offered helpful advice that might be useful to him during his stay.

When Mr Smith arrived at the department, the waiting room was crowded. The receptionist/nurse welcomed him immediately and explained how long he may have to wait. She settled him in his seat and offered him a selection of appropriate magazines to look at.

The consultant was very busy but the receptionist/nurse made sure that Mr Smith had some idea of how long he might have to wait. She apologised for the delay and offered him an area where he could use his ‘mobile’ to phone anyone who might be affected if he was delayed. Having checked with the consultant, she offered Mr Smith the chance to buy a drink and some biscuits from one the machines which were regularly filled and were in full working order.

Throughout his time in the waiting room, Mr Smith was kept informed about the time he’d have to wait. The receptionist and nurses apologised for the delays and explained that the consultant always wanted to give patients enough time to express their concerns. At the end of the appointment, the receptionist asked Mr Smith if he’d understood everything he’d been told by the doctor. She assured him that if he was unclear about anything, it could be sorted before he left the building. She then took him outside the unit and explained carefully and clearly the best way for him to get back to his car, checking with him that he had the right change for the car park machine before he got outside.

Mr Smith thanked the receptionist, the volunteer on the door and the man in the car park and told them that their cheerful willingness to help him along every step of the way had made the world of difference to what he feared might be a frightening afternoon.

Jill

‘KISSING IT BETTER’ would like all outpatient visits to be like Mr Smith's. If your hospital offers a similar service...or one that's even better, please contact us by following the route at the top of the page, and we'll add it to this website. Thank you.

'KISSING IT BETTER' is alll about simple ideas that make the 'world of difference'

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