This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?

"The staff have been exceptionally good"

About: Birmingham Women's Hospital Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham / General medicine

(as the patient),

Whilst I am a long term patient at your hospital and have to say that my experience has been at times stressful and less than pleasurable to say the least- I have also had a couple of visits to your MRI scanners on behalf of the Women's Hospital since 2013. On both occasions the staff have been expectionally good.

On the first occasion there were plans to adminster a drug to improve the image, however I explained to the Radiographer that congenital condition that already achieved the effect of the drug. She listened to me and came up with compromise. She put in the Butterfly ready to administer the drug but preformed prescan the drug was not required and just procceded without. She was also patient when on the safety questionnaire there were things she was not made prior to my arrival as it was incident that occurred less than week before MRI and was treated at Birmingham Children's. Instead of just cancelling the scan she fetched the Radiologist to ask if it was ok proceed, despite this taking sometime.

My second experience this last weekend was actually as good for all the things that could of happened. Since the previous MRI I have had a Reveal Device implanted on my chest. The requesting doctor from the Women's alerted Radiology to this and provided model details on the request form. This meant that their was no mad panic to find out if the device was MRI compatible or to find what the conditions under what conditions for scanning were. This meant Radiographer knew exactly how to approach it and question ask in order to find out if correct procedure prior to scanning had occurred. This was really important as their no doctors easily accessible to her as I was about to find out.

Unfortunately, and not the Radiographer fault at all, we had not been made aware that images requiring contrast had been requested. Due to only having a single kidney and no upto date blood test, she had to turn round she could not perform these images. Whilst there is no national guidance to say there should blood test and I do not believe trust procedures require it either, since my QE consultant had previously said as I do not have renal disease so I do not need a blood test for MRI with contrast and she a a specialist interest in MRI application in her specialty, however I do know from experience a grey area and respected her exercising caution with impecible manners and exercising intuition by performing all the other images that had been requested rather then send me way having done nothing. Meaning at worst I only have to return for the one last Image/Image sequence.

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust 8 years ago
Submitted on 22/07/2015 at 12:10
Published on Care Opinion at 12:14


Thank you so much for your feedback. The details of your post have been shared with our radiography team. We try to do our best always to ensure our patients have a good quality service and it is pleasing to hear that our efforts bear fruit and even better, are noted and appreciated. We are happy that this episode has had a good outcome for you. The grey area you refer to in guidance is being reviewed by our team. We never want to put patients in a position to have to return to hospital unnecessarily, and your feedback is giving us a good opportunity to unpick how this could have been made better for you.

Thank you again! If you’d like to feedback further, please feel free to contact us on 0121 627 2747.

Update posted by Xxxxbbbyyyy101 (the patient)

I felt the need to respond to this As the seems to be some confusion as to what it is about. The majority of this post was about the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and two visits I have made there. With the comments about radiographers being the ones I met at the QE.

However prior to both MRI's I had ultrasound scans at Birmingham Women's and found on both occasions the Radiographers kind and courteous. They also treated me with a lot of dignity. I also have always, bar one occasion, found the receptionists in Radioglogy and Gynaecology very helpful at the women's.

Really the only part of my original post that related directly Birmingham Women's Hospital was when I said the requesting doctor had preinformed people that I had an implanted reveal device. This I believe was a radiologist from the Women's Hospital and it did save an unbelievable ammount of stress for everyone.

With regards to the grey area around contrast, when I originally wrote this I was thinking more Queen Elizabeth Hospital and how the advice I have received from my cardiac consultant there was clearly contradictory to my expirience on this occasion. However, actually in hindsight it is nice to know you are looking into you own hospitals approach to this knowing know that one of you patients only part the requested scan due to having a single kidney. I am sorry for the confusion if you find that the Womens Hospital already have a clear approach to this and it just happened that the requesting doctor was unaware of the single kidney.

Having said all this, both the two visits for MRI scans at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital have formed part my assesment and care at Birmingham Women's which on the first occasion was of a very high standard, and the second occasion which is ongoing is exceeding that standard so far. Sorry for the confusion.

Response from Patient Relations & Experience Manager, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 8 years ago
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 22/07/2015 at 16:19
Published on Care Opinion at 16:52


Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback about the Imaging Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. We welcome all feedback and would like to assure you that all comments are taken seriously and acted upon as part of our ongoing commitment to improving patient experience.

We are really pleased to hear that your two recent experiences have been so positive. However we are very sorry that there was some confusion regarding whether you required a blood test prior to your scan, and that this has resulted in you needing to return for further images.

Your comments have been shared with the senior staff responsible for this service; they will share them with their team members and look into the grey area regarding the guidance.

If you would like discuss this in more detail please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) who will be happy to make the necessary arrangements with the relevant staff.

PALS can be contacted by phone 0121 371 3280, by email PALS@uhb.nhs.uk, via the hospital website www.uhb.nhs.uk/pals-form or in person by dropping in between 9am – 5pm (Mon-Fri) to the PALS office located near the Information Desk in the main entrance of the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k