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My Visit to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital for an Xray

Posted By Carolm

"My Visit to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital for an Xray"

About: Luton & Dunstable Hospital

(as the patient),

I turned up to have an Xray after being referred by my GP....

My very first impression of the Luton and Dunstable was that the entrance was like an old saloon bar, there were people smoking by the doors and around the entrance with the smell being evident all the way into the hospital corridors. I am a smoker and I found this obnoxious and not befitting of what is supposed to now be a 'University NHS Hospital' Someone needs to deal with this as it is a disgrace!

Secondly the front doors were not working so I had to ask a member of the public where to go as the signage was not particularly obvious or easy to understand... I truly felt lost.

Finally I found the X-ray department... the staff were very friendly and accommodating and I could not fault their professionalism although the X-ray waiting rooms and facilities leaved a lot to be desired.

When having to put on a clean gown I was told to take one from a pile which had been left on a chair, right next to an open top bin where they were being disposed of. One's brain does ask the question is this good infection control practice during a period of high instances of the winter vomiting bug?

I would certainly not accept a referral to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital again.

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Responses

Response from Luton & Dunstable Hospital 11 years ago
Luton & Dunstable Hospital

Submitted on 15/04/2013 at 13:37
Published on nhs.uk on 06/01/2014 at 08:00

We are sorry that you found our front entrance to be smoky. This is a problem that we have been trying to address by finding ways to discourage patients and visitors from smoking in that area. We are aware of problems with signage and again are addressing these through our site redevelopment plans. We have invested in 3 smoking shelters to encourage patients and visitors who have to smoke to do so away from entrances etc. However, despite clear signage many individuals remain adamant they will smoke wherever they like. As for the imaging dept I am delighted that the staff were found to be professional and helpful. With regard to the standard of the waiting rooms, I am sorry to hear that they were felt to be below par. The flooring and décor has been refurbished within the last 1-2 years and the main waiting room has a child’s corner. PEAT inspections do not raise concerns regarding the facilities, other than the female changing area, which has not been upgraded for some time and I agree could be much better. The comment regarding the proximity of the clean gowns to the linen skip for used ones – the polythene bag should contain all gowns completely and not be overflowing. The skip is for used but not soiled gowns and should any be soiled during an examination, these would be disposed of separately. There should be no risk of infection but it is advisable to separate these as much as possible and we will do so. Thank you for your comments.

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