Referred to audiology by GP. Arrived 15 minutes early as instructed on letter but registration took only a couple of minutes, pleasant receptionist. This meant sitting in in a rather grim waiting area/corridor for longer than I would want to. Called into examination room by a nice cheerful audiologist who took me through the hearing tests explaining all that was happening. They went through the results showing hearing loss and technical stuff and fitted me with an hearing aid. All in all a happy visit to the department made relaxed and easy by the audiologist I saw. To them I say thank you

Reply from Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 10:39:00 +0100

Many thanks for taking the time to share your positive comments about your experience and our staff at the hospital. We will pass this over to our audiology team.

I have a close friend who has been through your hospital’s service with various issues and each time has received a poor service. Most recently he was discharged when his mental health nurse didn't ring him back and claimed to have 'returned his phone call several times' which was not true as no phone calls were received and the hospital had been provided with his new mobile number and told to contact that specifically on two separate occasions. He is nearly 18 and has been trying to receive help since around the age of 14 with no success at all. He has been refused diagnosis this time round as his mental health nurse’s 'fellow colleague' agrees that he does not need one even though this colleague has never met with this patient on any occasion in over a year (and the last time they met they didn't listen to him and tried to push the problem off onto a situation going on in his life at the time although he was experiencing these issues before the situation and he requested a second opinion which he never received). He has obvious mental health issues which affect his day to day life. This has made it impossible for him to acquire his Math GCSE and attend college. The hospital has been totally unprofessional as he was meant to be seen by two nurses and the second only showed up once half an hour late, the final time he attended the hospital we were told that the nurse wasn't in work that day and hadn't bothered to get in contact to cancel the appointment. He has been sent blank pieces of paper in the post instead of expected letters and also been promised family therapy and the opportunity to see a psychologist and neither of which have actually happened. He has now been discharged for the fifth time with no support. The same nurse also reassured him that they were going to send a letter to their college explaining he had difficulties, we later found out this letter was never written. He has been in touch with a crisis team once and the hospital itself on two occasions and each time to be told he would get a phone call back from his nurse which never came. We feel we have been made broken promises and we feel he is going to fail his final year of college and not be able to receive his math GCSE. I blame the hospital for not giving him the help he so obviously needs. He has had no involvement in decision making as everything he has suggested has been ignored. My friend was not treated at all with dignity or respect as the hospital have refused him help and made him feel mocked for years. He would write this review himself but feels too nervous and scared too. He feels fed up with everything now and feels as though he will never be able to get help and has begun to completely give up. I blame the hospital 100% for the complete deterioration of his mental health due to the lack of care.