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Reception experience update

Posted By amac

"Reception experience update"

About: Lauriston Building

(as a service user),

I commented 6 months ago about the very poor experience when checking in for an audiology appointment at the reception desk. I received 2 responses to say that this was being taken very seriously & changes were being considered. Well, after visiting regularly over the months since then, not one thing has changed apart from today’s experience being the absolute worst that I’ve experienced to date.

I checked in early for my appointment, again being asked to shout out my date of birth whilst others could hear due to the Covid screens still being up around the whole desk area. The elderly lady in front of me could not hear the receptionist & struggled to answer the questions & hear the directions offered to her. No care or concern was shown by the receptionist who did nothing to help her understand.

What was even worse was when I left the area to visit the toilet. As I walked up the corridor well out of the reception area I could hear the receptionist scream ‘what’s’ your date of birth' 3 times at someone. I was so embarrassed for the person, what they must have felt like, I don’t know & I imagine others in the waiting area would be very uncomfortable.

Please do something about this system & the way that this receptionist, in particular, is speaking to (or screaming at)  people. It’s inhumane. I'd like to reiterate that it’s surely against our privacy rights for you to ask us to divulge personal information allowing others to hear it. I certainly don’t want people knowing my date of birth or my address. Please respect this & review your system to prevent this.

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Responses

Response from Mariska Vernon-Stroud, Patient Experience Team Lead, Patient Experience Team, NHS Lothian 12 months ago
Mariska Vernon-Stroud
Patient Experience Team Lead, Patient Experience Team,
NHS Lothian

I gather feedback from patients to recognise good practise and supporting improving services in NHS Lothian.

Submitted on 02/05/2024 at 14:24
Published on Care Opinion at 14:24

Dear amac,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience again of the reception area when attending for audiology appointment. I am so sorry that the issues are ongoing. Our desire it that people are treated respectfully and we wouldn’t want anyone to feel embarrassed in this situation. I have reached out to the team involved and they are seeking to get up-to-date information on potential changes that were being implemented. A follow up response will be posted in due course to.

Best wishes

Mariska

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Response from Mariska Vernon-Stroud, Patient Experience Team Lead, Patient Experience Team, NHS Lothian 11 months ago
Mariska Vernon-Stroud
Patient Experience Team Lead, Patient Experience Team,
NHS Lothian

I gather feedback from patients to recognise good practise and supporting improving services in NHS Lothian.

Submitted on 13/05/2024 at 14:03
Published on Care Opinion at 14:03

Dear amac,

Following posting your story I have linked in with the service to get an update. Unfortunately, it may take some time to resolve the environmental factors which impact upon the Audiology reception area. There are a number of factors to consider to determine if it possible to remove the Perspex screens.

At present there are discussions happening looking at how we get it right for both patients and staff. This process considers the needs of patients, as well as factors such as infection control and health and safety. I appreciate this is an area of frustration and concern for many patients who access this reception but please be reassured that these concerns have not been forgotten about and continue to be explored to find the best resolution.

Once an outcome has been reached the service or myself will post a response on this story. Thank you for bearing with us.

Kind regard

Mariska

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Update posted by amac (a service user)

Thanks for your responses Mariska, however it appears that more consideration is given to the receptionists than the patients & other staff. The audiologists & other medical staff have close contact with the patients who check in & don’t need a screen around them.

I feel patients are being treated badly in a disrespectful way at the reception desk. Patient dignity & respect is as important as staff health & safety but takes second place in this situation. Sadly patients don’t have unions to fight for them but I did think that the Patient Experience team would have our interests at heart.

Can I recommend that you or members of the team sit in this area to experience what is happening as it’s not a pleasant experience at all? Some simple adjustments to the welcome, I.e. props or a check in pad could make a small difference.

Sorry to go on about this but it angers me every time that I have to sit & witness the experience in this waiting area.

Can I also add that all medical staff are very respectful & helpful & are embarrassed by this patient experience. Surely 6 months is long enough to expect some changes, but it is the NHS & I understand things don’t change easily (sadly).

Thank you.

Response from Ann Meldrum, Personal Assistant, Outpatients, Lauriston Building - NHS Lothian 11 months ago
We are preparing to make a change
Ann Meldrum
Personal Assistant, Outpatients,
Lauriston Building - NHS Lothian

Submitted on 14/05/2024 at 17:24
Published on Care Opinion on 15/05/2024 at 08:04

Thank you for your feedback. I would like to confirm that we are actively seeking resolution to your concerns. We need to respectfully liaise with all services involved in the reception area before implementing changes, which often does take more time than we would like. I am hoping I can respond directly with a positive outcome in the next few weeks, noting minor work forms have now been submitted for work to progress regarding the removal of the Perspex screens. We have had a new Head of Service for Audiology come into post in the last month, and his proactive approach is certainly moving this forward. We will update you as soon as we have more details available to us.

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Response from Ann Meldrum, Personal Assistant, Outpatients, Lauriston Building - NHS Lothian 11 months ago
We have made a change
Ann Meldrum
Personal Assistant, Outpatients,
Lauriston Building - NHS Lothian

Submitted on 15/05/2024 at 15:55
Published on Care Opinion on 16/05/2024 at 09:35

Good Afternoon. Following on from my communication yesterday I can confirm that I have had a very positive meeting with Feraz Ahmed, Head of Service, Adult Audiology. Feraz has confirmed that, as well as pending work; having the Perspex screen removed from the Audiology/ENT reception area, he confirms

"having personally checked the area there is an operational loop system in place, (which is inbuilt into the reception desk) and is working well, as long as you speak into the mic. I have let Health Record (reception team) know how it works. In addition, I've managed to increase the volume range to ease the communication"

The loop system is working and activated now, tested by Feraz himself. I would like to assure you that the Perspex screen will also be removed in the coming days/weeks. I sincerely apologise that this has taken 6 months to reach this point, but I hope that the proactive approach from Feraz and his team going forward ensures that your experience whilst checking in at our reception desk is now a pleasant and comfortable experience for you and all patient's attending our Audiology and ENT clinic. Thank you for taking the time to highlight this to us, your feedback has been very much appreciated and has instigated a positive change in our Audiology environment for you and all patient's attending our service.

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Response from Ann Meldrum, Personal Assistant, Outpatients, Lauriston Building - NHS Lothian 11 months ago
We have made a change
Ann Meldrum
Personal Assistant, Outpatients,
Lauriston Building - NHS Lothian

Submitted on 21/05/2024 at 14:22
Published on Care Opinion at 14:42

Good Afternoon

I have just received confirmation from Feraz Ahmed, Head of Service, Adult Audiology that the Perspex screens in the Audiology/ENT reception have now been removed. This happened on Friday May 17th. The screens are down and a working loop system is in place in the hope that patients attending the department have a more comfortable, dignified experience when checking in. May I take this opportunity to thank you again for your feedback over the past few months. Patient feedback is extremely important to us and I hope you accept our apologies for the delay, whilst we implemented the changes to our Outpatient area.

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Update posted by amac (a service user)

Thank you for the update Ann. (I submitted a separate positive feedback post yesterday after my appointment as I somehow couldn’t respond to the original.)

It was such a pleasure to experience the welcoming environment yesterday due to the screens having been removed. It makes it so much easier to communicate with the staff behind the desk. I do appreciate the action that has been taken over the last 2 weeks & your continual updates. I’m hoping that other people feel the benefit of the changes that have been made, it can only enhance the patient experience. As a regular patient to the department it will certainly make things more pleasant for me. Thank you so much for the part you’ve played in making this happen.

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