Hospitals tested for the visually impaired

A ‘MYSTERY shopper’ has tested the accessibility of hospitals in Lancashire for people with a visual impairment.

Healthwatch Lancashire carried out the project which included Burnley General Hospital, Royal Blackburn Hospital and Accrington Victoria Hospital.

A volunteer who has a visual impairment and was assisted by a guide dog visited the eye clinics in the hospitals and reported back on the findings.

At Burnley General, which the volunteer visited on January 26, the watchdog said signage was poor, as ‘the hospital is sectioned by areas listed in numbers and each area also has a colour, which was very confusing’.

The volunteer was shown the way to the eye clinic, and praised the member of staff who showed the way, saying they were ‘very helpful’.

However the lift would have been a problem if the shopper was on his own, as it did not say the floor numbers out loud.

Royal Blackburn Hospital was visited the same day, and the volunteer found the board giving directions to the eye clinic a problem.

Healthwatch said: “The eye clinic was displayed on the board with a picture of an eye, but it only told you that it was on level one. It did not say where exactly you needed to go. The writing on the sign was very small.”

A cleaner offered to help the volunteer and led him to the eye clinic. He was then able to find his way back out ‘as the cleaner has given good directions’.

However, he said the signage was ‘poor’ and the automated check-in was ‘useless to me’.

At Accrington Victoria Hospital, which the volunteer visited on March 9, he was unable to read signs that were ‘too high on the wall’.

Someone offered help ‘from behind a window’ and instructed the volunteer to book in for the appointment.

He did not encounter any issues using the guide dog and said that extra staff in the reception were not needed, as it was not very busy.

However he added: “You would need someone extra to guide a patient if it is busy on days the eye clinics are running.”

James Maguire, divisional general manager for estates and facilities at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We thank Healthwatch for the new report as the feedback it contains helps us to improve services for all patients.

“It is also good to know that our staff and volunteers receive praise for the manner in which they assisted visually impaired patients.

“We try to anticipate patient and visitor needs as much as possible and for this reason the Trust supports people with a visual impairment in a number of ways, including clear signage and maps, patient information in large print and audio format, check-in machines which provide support for people with low vision, accessible lifts with automatic voice announcements at each floor on some sites, and training and support for staff and volunteers.”