In September, a group of our volunteers and staff visited Southend Hospital to look at how easy it is for patients to find their way around.
We reviewed signs and maps around several hospital car parks and multiple out-patient and in-patient departments to look at how easy it is for patients to find their way around, and to check whether the signs were clear and matched printed literature .
We found that:
Clinic and department locations do not always match the printed literature
Outpatients clinics and some in-patient wards are confusing because they move around and are not individually sign posted.
Car park signage both permanent and temporary requires improvement
We have shared full feedback and our recommendations with Southend Hospital. They are considering our findings along with a recent PLACE (Patient Led Assessment of Care Environments) assessment they undertook themselves.
Download the full report below