The ambience of hospital waiting rooms

[koffeekat99]

Hi all

I just spotted a post on Facebook by a midwife whose local hospital has just decorated a room for ladies who have experienced a miscarriage. I thought this was a lovely idea. Though I know that these things need funding or volunteers to enable them to happen.

It did make me think though what are the hospitals like where you all go to, mainly as an outpatient?

When I go for my regular checks I go to the outpatient part of the women's hospital. Not enough chairs so my husband usually ends up standing and makes a big fuss about me having a seat, all of the posters and info are about pregnancy and fertility. It's a typical hospital waiting room which isn't the most relaxing. Although at least they never put Jeremy Kyle on the TV when it was on (which they did used to do at the Pain Management Unit and it was a bit stressful watching it!!!). Usually it's Homes Under the Hammer.

[Katmal-UK]

Hi I go to The Christies in Manchester and the waiting room where you wait to have bloods taken and then (in my case) wait to be seen by the trials team is a large 'open' room. No TV so no danger of JK (not that that's any threat now). It's recently been refurbished with new chairs (of which there are plenty) . The scan waiting area is another matter.... small, sometimes bit packed. My main gripe here is there is a direct view into the area where you gown up for the scan...... unfortunately they have the open backed gowns and I have seen some sights I wished I hadn't seen, not to mention I value my own privacy. Having said all that it's an amazing hospital, so what if I get to flash my behind occasionally.... lol still here to be able to do so thanks to the wonderful staff! xx Kathy xx

[koffeekat99 in reply to Katmal-UK]

Sounds like they haven’t quite that one through. I guess it’s one of those occasions where everyone is in the same boat.

[Rachael47]

Calendar Girls - one of my all-time favourites. The girls made a nude calendar Julie Walter's Julie Walter's character wanted to buy a comfortable sofa for the waiting room where she spent a lot of time in when her husband was dying? Not sure that's a good idea for most of us here, although there might be a niche audience of men who like to look at women with scars.

[koffeekat99 in reply to Rachael47]

Why not flaunt our scars! Anyone can have scars. I wish society would let go of the idea of perfection.

I saw Calendar Girls on stage and it was great. They did the photo shoot stuff really well.

Trying to decide whether I would have a baguette to hide the scar or a giant bagel to draw a circle round it to highlight it

[BJ_UK]

Yes, it always seems to be Homes Under the Hammer, doesn't it! And Miss K. is always running late - good thing I quite like HUTH, though I've been signed off back to the care of my GP now. (My choice - I got tired of the hospital messing about with my appointment times, so when I hit 5 years they said I could either continue seeing them annually or see my GP with a promise of fast-tracking if I had any problems.)

Barbara xxx

[koffeekat99 in reply to BJ_UK]

She was on time once. It was the day there was a picket line outside and my husband couldnt get parked. He was still driving around after I’d been in and out and had a blood test.

Sounds good that you feel ok back with GP. Long may you not need to sit in that waiting room again

[Lyndy]

Ugh yes...no windows, lots of people waiting for different clinics... mags from the early 80s ...

[koffeekat99 in reply to Lyndy]

There is definitely a lack of windows in waiting rooms. My dad used to give me his magazines to take to the waiting rooms. Many a gentleman has swooped in to see what goodies I brought for them!

[TinaB1]

Sounds like my hospital xx

[TinaB1]

Is it in the North West ?xx

[koffeekat99 in reply to TinaB1]

No, Yorkshire. But the similarity doesnt surprise me.

[Petrolhead]

At the last scan I had I was given 2 gowns as this was the new policy so people were covered in all directions 😁. I usually take a dressing gown as I do not feel the need to share all. 🙄

(This reminds me I must email them to email me my scan results)

Waiting rooms always small, no windows and never enough chairs. I don’t really mind as I feel lucky to have scans when some are refused by their medical team.

Fay

[koffeekat99 in reply to Petrolhead]

I haven't had to wear a gown for CT scans. Fortunate as they are so overloaded that we have a spare CT van in the car park and I have been in there in January.

X

[BellmoreBelle]

Hammersmith is delightful, the Gary Weston Centre has a large, open area with a very high ceiling, and light streaming in through the glass above, a load of big, comfortable seats, a cafe, and a Macmillan kiosk which I make a beeline for so I can catch up with the lovely, lovely staff, have a coffee and a biscuit. Waiting times can be long, but recently they've been very efficient, and the time does pass relatively quickly! It's two buses and about an hour (mostly due to bad traffic) to get there, but afterwards I go for a long walk - I can get just about all of the way home on foot, and at the very least cut out the first of the buses - it's especially nice detouring via Ravenscourt Park/Turnham Green/Chiswick, and then it becomes a really pleasant day off work!

[koffeekat99 in reply to BellmoreBelle]

It does make such a difference if you can incorporate something non-medical into the day too doesn't it? My husband and I always go somewhere for coffee or lunch after a trip to the hospital. It means we're going for coffee and whilst we're out we call into the hospital whilst we're passing rather than the other way round

[BellmoreBelle in reply to koffeekat99]

Absolutely!! It's so much nicer than that long mind-numbing wait. And it will never be as long as my first, awful session where I got there, still sickly, hungry, sleep-deprived and confused, 5 hours early and they made me wait until my 2pm slot...

[ZenaJ]

Where I go it's basic. Enough plain chairs, walls neutral and TV with Homes Under the Hammer but then again it is the NHS and I'd rather the money went into staff if they're short of it which we all know they are. The staff are fantastic though. I like to think I'm very lucky to get this treatment without having to worry about paying for it. I know I've paid in over the years but doubt it would cover the treatment I've had.

Best wishes to everyone, Zena xx

[koffeekat99 in reply to ZenaJ]

Good point and I have to agree that I'd much rather the money went on the staff and medical equipment than the decor. It's terrifying hearing some of the stories of the ladies in the US where they are reliant on a system of medical insurance.

[Di16]

Where I go the scan waiting room is quite small with no windows, but they don't make us undress for our scans. I just get asked if I'm not wearing an underwired bra & there's no metal eg zips in my trousers. I used to have to gown up at my local hospital. The oncology waiting room gets crowded, with several clinics going on at once, often running late. Twice this year I've been called through 2 hours + later than my appointment time. It's usually possible to find a chair somewhere, though not necessarily always 2 together if my husband's with me. And there's no tv, just a screen showing what they think are appropriate local adverts & in between, a screen showing how late clinics may be running. I normally take a book with me. Di