I think over the years we have visited almost every ward in this place.
The hospital gets a bad reputation locally, but at the same time when there was talk that it was to shut, the local community rallied round to save it, so it can't be all bad.
Most of our recent visits have been to Accident and Emergency (A&E) and I have to say it's a lot better than I remember it years ago. Sometime it's not been the cleanest and sometimes the staff don't do things in the order you'd expect, but after a 12 hour shift I think I'd be the same.
The staff in the Intensive care (ICU) have a very difficult job and are really sympathetic to the families, giving them loads of time and space at a time that is truly difficult and harrowing.
No matter where you are in the hospital there are loads of hand sanitiser to try and minimise the risk of infection and reminders everywhere so you don't forget that it's important to avoid patients catching unwanted infections.
If you've dealing with issues over multiple wards, you'll find that the doctors tend to specialise and don't appear to be able to deal with issues out with their own speciality/department, which can be very frustrating as it should be simple to get some cross departmental cooperation and patient care.
The car parking is difficult during the traditional visiting hours, often spilling out onto the neighbouring streets. Some wards have, in recent years, tried to move away from these traditional hours, so you may be in luck and be able to attend loved ones at hours that are more suitable for you, your family, the person your visiting and all with easier parking.
There are lifts within the central corridor of the hospital at both the front and the back of the hospital, which will take you to the wards you're visiting, with loads of signs to help you get where you need to go without too much need to navigate the maze of corridors.
Occasionally there are periods that the hospital is having ongoing maintenance, but these are usually highlighted and with new additions, such as the Maggie's Centre and the New Beatson, the Hospital is providing local services that the community need on their doorstep.
There is a RVS (WRVS) tea room / snack area on the ground floor as well as a small WH Smiths which are open for limited hours during the day. If you are spending time there there is also a canteen on the basement of the building, but as It's some time since I've visited there I'll leave that to a later review or maybe someone else can review it.
For those with disabilities there are disabled parking in the car park at the front door, but these fill fast so I'd advise to try to arrive early and grab something at the tea room or the shop before your visit.
For those using public transport, there appears to be fairly regular bus services running and there is a bus stop across from the front of the hospital. The local train station (Coatdyke) is a short(wish) walk from the back of the hospital.
Overall, the place could be better, but it is improving all the time and with staff working long hours and with NHS budgets the way they are, I'm glad it's still here as it's a vital life line for anyone who needs it. read more
