"Hospital access"

I was supporting my husband to attend the  Endoscopy Unit at Ninewells in July 2023.  My husband uses a walking stick as a result of a stroke.

The accessibility to the hospital in general could be improved. Availability of Blue badge accessible parking is limited: we had to arrive an hour before the appointment to give us time to get parked.

Wheelchair availability - Could wheelchairs be accessed from main reception.  I had to go down in the lift to another area of the hospital to find one. 

 

Lift access: The lift was not available for patient access.  We had to abandon our wheelchair and walk down stairs from level 7 to level four.  This was extremely difficult for my husband and not the most conducive way in which to attend the Endoscopy Unit prior to a stressful procedure.   An auxiliary nurse from the ward was unsure of alternative access routes. Another auxiliary nurse told us that the lifts were "off line" so other hospital staff could use them for transporting bedding from the wards and patient records.  They also fed back that this arrangement occurs regularly.