Victoria Infirmary 2014-02-27 Person 4 5 0

The New Victoria Infirmary hospital is not one I would recommend to disabled people as none of the main doors are electronically opened. They are heavy, spring-loaded fire doors that requires someone to hold open to allow wheelchair confined people or people with crutches or walking sticks through. The Pain Clinic is a very long way from the patient's elevators. This means that if you are on crutches and are in pain when mobilising, then your pain is much worse by time you get to your appointment! There are also areas that cannot be accessed by wheelchair patients because there are steps but no ramp. An example is, the cash office. Another huge problem is procedures carried out in the Day Hospital. Should the patient have problems during or after a procedure, the Day Hospital has to phone for an ambulance to take the patient 2 minutes down the road to the Accident and Emergency unit or to the wards if they require admission in the Old Victoria Infirmary as there is no A & E or 24 hour fully staffed wards in the New hospital! This is a ridiculous, not to say extremely dangerous, situation and one which almost cost me my life as my heart went into Supra Ventricular Tachycardia during a diagnostic procedure and I had to wait for an ambulance from another hospital several miles away as there were no local ambulances available, to transfer me the 200yds or so to the A & E department of the old hospital. Apart from these problems, I have always found the staff to be very helpful and courteous and all seem to be very well aware of the problems that exist.