"I had an ultrasound scan of kidneys ..."

What I liked

I had an ultrasound scan of kidneys & bladder in November 2008 and the staff in that ultrasound department were friendly, professional and respectful. I was seen quickly, with no waiting time.

What could be improved

In January 2009 I attended the Urology department outpatients for a consultation. The staff did not explain how things worked, I waited over an hour to be seen. When I was seen the staff did not introduce themselves or their job roles, they did not sit down and talk to me carefully at any point, the senior doctor did not sit down at any point during the consultation. While I was being examined, and was half-nake, another member of staff came in and out of the room. The doctors talked to each other and not to me. They told me I have a problem which would cause kidney failure and when I asked how long-term this was the doctor shrugged and said "could be months could be years". They were abrupt and alarmist, they did not take time to explain themselves. The experience was chaotic and demeaning. I have made a formal complaint and got referred to another hospital - UCH, which I have found much better and which gave me different advice to that I recieved at Homerton.

Anything else?

I'm afraid that based on this experience I would not reccommend the Homerton to anyone, although I'm sure other departments and staff are different. I would say to everyone to remember that if you are not happy with any hospital, you can apply to another, you don't just have to go to your nearest one.