Heartlands Hospital

I arrived for my outpatient appointment and they told me it was cancelled but I was not informed of this

I spent 48 hours in A&E and my experience wasn't great because they are understaffed and overworked. I was sent to another department and back to A&E which was confusing.

I have had a form of blood cancer for 12 years and go here every six months for blood tests and see the cancer team or have a phone call which works well for me.

I was sent here by out of hours. They put me on a drip for dehydration and helped me get better.

I went in March/April and they lost the referral so I had to chase them for a new one. You have to wait for appointments.

Lovely place. I was seen on time as I am very happy with the care.

I hate A&E. It takes hours to be seen. I don't like coming here.

I come here regularly to see the weight management team, the consultant is a little sweetie. My appointments go well and I am always seen on time. I do have to get dropped off to avoid parking though as I can't even park with my blue badge.

I attended Heartlands Hospital A&E with my 80-year-old neighbour, who had been experiencing a nosebleed for over an hour. She is on blood thinners, has high blood pressure, and is prone to blood clots. Upon arrival, we overheard the receptionist informing another patient that everyone was seen strictly in order of arrival, regardless of symptoms or urgency.

Despite her age and medical risks, we waited an hour and a half before realising—via the hospital’s live online data—that the current waiting time was over 5 hours and 30 minutes. At that point, my neighbour was exhausted and we decided to take her home, advising her to call 999 if the bleeding continued.

The A&E department itself was overcrowded, disorganised, and noticeably unclean. The overall environment felt chaotic and poorly managed, leaving us with little confidence in the care available.

I have been under the gastro team at UHB and have attended appointments at Hospitals and Solihull Hospital. I experienced long waits between appointments, which was often 6 months. I also had a long wait for results and it took several months to be told that I needed a liver scan. Communication was generally poor and needs to be improved.