West Park Hospital, Darlington

Sent two appointments to see a DR. One appointment didnt even exist. That was in March. Two women came out to reception to apolgise saying it was a mistake and that todays appointment was the real one. I accepted that errors occur, and left. Turned up today for THAT true appointment that has been in the bag since January. I waited in reception for over half an hour, eventually I was called over to the reception desk and handed the receiver of the phone to talk to an unknown, they may have introduced themself but by this time I didnt care. I was told that the DR was not available and that they had just found out, Yeah righto! They asked if they could send out another appointment, stupid question. I was so fed up I threw the phone down and walked out. Id rather not entertain what felt like clownish behaviour if you cant even get an appointment right, or even have the common decency to call and cancel, nope you just let me turn up just so you can mess with me. After reading some of the stories on here, I think Ill just manage by myself, seems you lot do more harm than good. Ill jog on and go and see my GP, let her know that her good deed was foiled by what was in my opinion, incompetent care at Westpark. Congratulations on sending my anxiety higher than it has ever been.......WHO AM I? .......I am the patient that never was.

Reply from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Mon, 20 May 2019 14:23:05 +0100

We are so very sorry to hear that you feel that have not had a good experience of our services. We are committed to providin high quality care and to investigate where this has not been the case. Unfortunately you have not given sufficient detail of the team so that we can forward on your concerns for investigation. If you would like us to do this, please provide the detail and we will be happy to take this forward. Thank you.

Reply from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Fri, 11 Jan 2019 11:20:45 Z

We encourage people to raise concerns and I thank you for doing this. At West Park Hospital we pride ourselves on the values and behaviours that our staff demonstrate and deliver. I apologise that you have not experienced the behaviours/values that we expect all of our staff to deliver. I will respond to the issues you raised individually. 1. Our work force is made up of male and female staff therefore clients may receive interventions from a staff member of the opposite sex. Would expect that clients are asked prior to any intervention/contact if they have any objections to a member of staff who is of different gender attending to their needs. I apologise that this did not occur in your experience. 2. All clients admitted to our wards should receive an admission pack which describes admission process/formulation etc. Again I apologise that you not given this information and I will address this with the ward leadership team. 3. Although we aspire to meet client’s choices in relation to food we cannot always meet aspiration. We can provide sandwiches when meals are missed and again I will address this with the ward. We have recently introduced a new menu which has been positively received by clients. We do also offer snacks throughout the day and have a canteen on site which clients are encouraged to visit. 4. You are certainly not a ‘trouble maker’ or challenging by raising these issues and thank you for bringing these to our attention. All clients have individual leave plans which are completed in collaboration with a client and you are correct in that informal clients can leave the ward at any time. However, as a team we have a duty of care for the safety of clients in our care and at times clients are advised not to utilise leave due to their current mental state, despite their legal status. Our wards are not classified as locked wards however access is via a swipe card therefore clients do have to approach staff to be let off the ward. I will ensure that the signage on the door relating to this issue is clearly visible on our wards. 5. This point would not have been an issue if you had been given a ward information pack as all the questions raised would have been answered. Again I apologise. 6. The Trust’s Use of Visual and Audio Recordings in Clinical Procedures states that recording of consultations can only be conducted with the full and informed consent of all service users and staff. Again I apology for the behaviours demonstrated by the staff member as I would have expected them to advise you of their rights in relation to recording sessions. 7. We aim as a team to work collaboratively with clients, carers and other partners. This philosophy of working commences from the time a client is admitted to a ward. Discharge planning commences from admission and treatment continues following discharge in the community. The client is central to everything that we do, however services have been redesigned to support/treat clients in the community thus reducing the length of hospital stays. Beverley Bowman. Modern Matron West Park Hospital

So I came to this ward needing help as I was a risk to myself. I did receive some care however they decided to dischargee without my input when I was still suicidal. Some staff are friendly but it seems the patients help each other more. Staff seem to focus on one patient the majority of the time letting her in the office , buying her take aways, letting her be derogatory about other patients ( a few of us noted this) and allowing this to happen. Even the patient would openly admit to this as well saying it wa because she had been here longer. Due to this other patients were left, they were told to.leave the office or that it was staffs decision if they bought a patient food etc. I find this strange to be honest and I think many other patients did too. Hopefully this can get sorted

Reply from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Mon, 22 Jul 2019 17:09:22 +0100

Thank you for your comment. We are very sorry to hear that you have not had a good experience of care in West Park Hospital. As a trust, we strive to provide high quality services at all times and investigate when this has not happened. If you would like us to look into this in more detail, could you please provide the name of the Ward to which you refer. You can do this by contacting Gillian Jones, Patient Carer Experience Manager on 0191 333 3050 and she will forward your comment to the appropriate manager. Thank you