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"Queuing outside before visiting"

About: Medway Maritime Hospital / Older people's healthcare

(as a relative),

This is a follow up to my previous story about my wife being made to wait outside A&E at 4am in the morning whilst her mother with mixed dementia was taken in alone.

Her mother was later admitted to the hospital and the next day when my wife went to visit on a booked visiting slot, she and many others were made to queue outside in the rain and despite protesting and asking if they could go inside to get warm and get a cuppa in the cafe they were told in an abrupt and unfriendly manner by one of the women directing the queue that no they could not and they wouldn't be allowed in until they said so! They only started letting visitors in 5 minutes before the scheduled visit and the ward my wife was visiting was over the other side of the hospital, so no time to stop at the shop before her visit with her mother. 

I saw a reply over two weeks ago to another person saying it was being reviewed so that visitors would no longer have to queue outside - however 2 weeks later and it's still happening, if people are wearing masks and using antibac why do they have to wait outside?

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Responses

Response from Medway Maritime Hospital nearly 2 years ago
Medway Maritime Hospital
Submitted on 12/05/2022 at 22:42
Published on nhs.uk on 13/05/2022 at 19:28


Thank you again for your feedback. We have worked hard to keep everyone safe and we are aware that the queuing outside has sometimes been difficult for families and visitors.

Our visiting and attendance at the hospital reflects the advice from NHS England and we are aware that it has been a poor experience at times for people queuing.

We have now reviewed the visiting arrangements and social distancing advice and we can only apologise for your families poor experiences.

kindest regards

The Patient Experience Team

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