"Better Service"

Firstly, appreciated was the patience of Darlington Memorial Hospital Staff in X-ray who were telephoned and informed, car parking issues was a contributing factor why my husband, who is a wheelchair user, arrived 45 mins past his appointment time. He was still seen. Thank you.

However, this matter aside, not only did I take time off work, but wish to make it known it took almost 2 hours to get my husband ready for the appointment involving Barium Swallow. The main disappointment about the visit related to the ? Fluoroscope Machine not been strong enough to take his weight. He is in excess of 150 kilos and told the procedure would have to take place at a different hospital with ‘bigger and stronger chair’.

Not only was this situation, in our opinion a waste of everyone's time, but a new appointment being organised, to us seemingly adds pressure on an already overstretched service as well as ourselves. A suggestion maybe an identifying marker / icon on patient records, could be beneficial in alerting Secretaries / X-ray Team and or relevant others responsible for setting up appointments which hospital(s) to access that has the right sized machines. My husband would consent to this, since this is less embarrassing than him being told on the day he is too heavy for the equipment and necessitating us to go through the whole rigmarole again of getting him to another appointment elsewhere.

It is hoped such a proposal could help make the delivery of Health Services be more efficient and cost effective. In the meantime, we'll do our bit by checking if the equipment being used is the correct one for him.