separate occasion with my two small children. On both occasions we had to get to A&E quickly as were sent there by GP. Because of this I didn’t have any drinks, food or cash with me. The average waiting time was five hours so we ended up spending many hours without any food or drink. In the end another patient who saw how much we were struggling gave my children some crisps as they were so hungry and starting to have tantrums on top of my 3-year-old having high temperature as well. Once we finally got in, we were offered food and drinks after I asked for it, which was really great, however we really needed it sooner. The waiting area has good facilities for children but it is very small and often people end up standing around as there are not enough seats. If you have to attend with children who have any special needs it will be very difficult due to the noise levels and lack of space and a quiet area. I do think that they should also provide fresh drinking water and some snacks for free as people don’t always have money with them due to emergency.
Response from Patient Experience Facilitator, Birmingham Childrens Hospital
Thank you for your feedback in regard to your experience of your visit to the Emergency Department on two separate occasions at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Unfortunately, if emergencies come in to our Trauma team, this will have an impact on the waiting time to be seen. Each patient's waiting time is triaged based on clinical priority.
Out of hours and during the day, families can currently purchase food and drink from the two vending machines in the Emergency waiting area. In addition, families can also purchase food from the Costa and the WHSmith's store at the front of the hospital and also our canteen/café. We appreciate your suggestions to improve on the supply of water and food for families and will certainly take your comments on board and look into how we can improve our Emergency Department waiting area. One suggestion that has been made is to provide a jug of water for families on the Emergency department reception desk, which we will look into.
Response from Patient Experience Facilitator, Birmingham Childrens Hospital
Thank you for your feedback in regard to your experience during your visit to Birmingham Children's Hospital. It is great to hear that you are pleased with the service our hospital provides and that staff were compassionate and helpful. We are really happy that you will recommend our service as a trust to others. As a trust, we strive to provide high quality care and treatment and we are glad we have met this for your family.
Response from Patient Experience Facilitator, Birmingham Childrens Hospital
Thank you for your feedback in regard to your experience during your visit to Birmingham Children's Hospital. As you have not specified which waiting area this is in regard to, we are unable to comment. However, we will take your comment on board and be mindful of the layout of each waiting area ensuring it remains spacious. We are pleased to hear that you environment was clean and the staff were helpful.
I have attended the Children’s hospital A&E recently on two separate occasion with my two small children. On both occasions we had to get to A&E quickly as were sent...
