"Unwelcoming entrance and public areas"

I am fairly familiar with the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh site, but being a patient there recently has let me see the site through a slightly different lens. I can't be the first person to mention how unclean and unwelcoming the main entrance is.

During a visit to see me while I was an inpatient, one of my children remarked (unprompted): "aren't hospitals supposed to feel safe and clean"? The ground is filthy and strewn with cigarette ends and the whole area feels like some sort of "dodgy" underpass you might see in a film where you're expecting something bad to happen to someone.

Once in the hospital, public areas were also filthy with dirty walls and carpets. I should add however that all clinical areas I experienced (A&E SJH, Surgical Obs RIE, Ward 107 RIE, and Day Surgery RIE) were all nice and clean and felt safe and in keeping with what I expect from a clinical environment.

Perhaps I'm being naive but my understanding is that PFI hospitals are supposed to receive a certain degree of upkeep and maintenance and would like to ask hospital staff and stakeholders if they feel that these standards are "up to scratch"?

I understand that the NHS is under constant financial strain but my opinion is that anyone attending a healthcare environment should feel welcomed by a sense of safety and cleanliness synonymous with healthcare.