"Walk in x ray"

Only good thing about the service is that you are able to get an X-Ray on a walk in basis once put "onto the system" by a GP. I took someone who has had dreadful back pain for the best part of 2 months. 1st difficulty was in getting to the front door from the car - you can't even drop off near the entrance. A walk from the car park is ok if you're not in pain when you need to walk any distance, but surely it's possible to make sure that physically accessing a clinic for people struggling with mobility is easier? Probably OK if you're in a wheelchair but rubbish if you aren't. Checking in OK, advised 1 hour wait. Turned out to be over 2 before first being seen. Lots of signs about being seen in order of clinical need - don't know how that's determined. Having sat on a really uncomfortable chair for all that time, my friend could hardy walk & was in much more pain when he was asked to "come through" along a very long corridor...to another waiting area. X-Ray carried out well, staff sympathetic & kind.

We left the building just over 3 hours after walking in......my friend had to practically crawl out by then. Luckily we'd taken water, a hot water bottle, a back cushion.....didn't see anywhere to get a drink. 1 male/ 1 female loo which both open straight onto the waiting area, which was jammed for the whole time we were there with not enough seats.. If the other patients hadn't been so lovely - bonding in the face of adversity - the experience would have been even more grim. Several people needing X-rays were in pain & bordering on furious. One man said he felt de-humanised. I had to wait for my friend, in the corridor outside the consulting rooms for about 10 minutes while he went back out into the waiting area to use the loo....he was almost screaming in pain by now.....3 of the rooms had one HCP each in them, sitting in front of computers and talking to each other through the open doors - no patients in sight. Another room had 2 people having a good old chat about working hours & how to make sure they didn't work enough hours to pay tax?!

Both were of an age (same as mine!) to have had free uni education & with the service so stretched you'd think there'd be a better attitude in a vocational profession. There seemed to be lots of staff in the clinic, but very few seemed motivated or with any sense of an efficient, proactive "let's get on with it" attitude. It would be a really useful exercise for everyone who works there (to be paid!) to be told to "just find a seat and someone will be with you soon" ......and then just leave them for a few hours, with no information, no indication as to how long they had to wait, no water etc so that they have more understanding of what it's like for patients. The difference 5 or 10 minutes less waiting time means the world if you're in pain......they might then be more minded to at least work (&walk!) more quickly and efficiently. Lots of "putting patients first" slogans.....hah!!! Try to go somewhere else!!!