"Fine if you can find where you're meant to be..."

Anything else?

We have visited Scunthorpe Hospital twice in the last month for outpatient visits. On the first visit the appointment letter told us to go to Dermatology by accessing via the Main Entrance, and then going to Level C. We had never visited the main hospital before (only A&E). We parked in the Church Lane car park and went in the door marked Main Entrance. Finding Level C was a breeze - well signed from immediately inside the foyer. Then we got a little lost... We just couldn't see any signs to dermatology. There were signs for departments for ailments we had never even heard of, but of dermatology there was no mention. We wandered like lost sheep until we saw a person in a uniform and asked, and were given appropriate direction. The first sign we saw for dermatology was on the door of the department. Our second visit was to the beautifully named Blue Sky suite. Surely we would be lucky with signs this time? Our blue sky thinking let us down, and from Level C we started our now familiar wanderings round the corridors. We passed many signs, directing service users to all manner of departments. Not one mentioned Blue Sky. The appointment this time was at 18.30, and we wandered the deserted corridors, wondering if we were the only people around. We turned a corner and passed X Ray - maybe we were in the right sort of area? Still no mention of the Blue Sky Suite. Just as we were speculating on being found in the morning, exhausted after a night time's search, a helpful doctor (he was wearing a stethoscope so we assumed he was a doctor) asked if he could help - he must have seen the fear in our eyes. It turned out we were only yards from our goal - and we saw the first sign. The suite, when we arrived, was lovely - clean, bright, almost uplifting, and with a charming receptionist. Enough flippancy - people who are unfamiliar with the hospital need signage to get to their department. I realize there are hundreds of departments but all need to be signed. The helpers and staff are very good, but in quiet times, like twilight appointments, helpers are not in attendance and staff are thin on the ground. Maybe a mystery patient volunteer should be used by every department and told to find their way using only signage - that would show any shortfalls in the ones existing.