Hospital unveils plan for warmer welcome (From The Oxford Times)

New M&S for the OX3 postcode perhaps?

Was first published in the "Oxford Mail" comments yesterday... ;-)

Oh well, parking charges will be going up then, self funding my ar**.

Sick people that have to go by car don't even go near the "main entrance" & most people are just in a hurry to get whee they are going. How about using ther money to improve the services? Doctors & nurses before nice art pieces & shops, after all most people go to the shopping centre not the hospital when they want to go shopping

Hopefully they won't go the Great Western Hospital (Swindon) route. Although the staff are great:

1. Parking is charged for (a moral outrage in my opinion!)
2. The entrance hall shop sells junk (sweets, crisps and cakes - a bowl of fruit on the front counter the only healthy option!)
3. The restaurant is worse than a motorway cafe

The JR is reputedly one of the best hospitals not just in the UK, but in the world, let's ensure it doesn't lose it's focus - making people better and get corrupted by the nefarious side of consumerism and profit.

Warmer welcome? How about day beds and free refreshments in the A&E waiting room for the average 2-hour wait before being seen (except for ambulance cases) and the equally long-haul before finally departing ...? One reason for the massive waiting times at A&E is that the JR's A&E is a major part of the ever-increasing 'centralisation' of hospital services in the region, not just Oxford or Oxfordshire. The hospital facilities are either mothballed due to funding and staff cutbacks (despite all the new-build projects which seem to keep enlarging the place) or simply were never designed for the throughput and sheer numbers of patients, visitors and not forgetting Staff.

Hope they don't loose the League of Friends - the JR needs all the friends it can get.

Myron Blatz wrote:
Warmer welcome? How about day beds and free refreshments in the A&E waiting room for the average 2-hour wait before being seen (except for ambulance cases) and the equally long-haul before finally departing ...? One reason for the massive waiting times at A&E is that the JR's A&E is a major part of the ever-increasing 'centralisation' of hospital services in the region, not just Oxford or Oxfordshire. The hospital facilities are either mothballed due to funding and staff cutbacks (despite all the new-build projects which seem to keep enlarging the place) or simply were never designed for the throughput and sheer numbers of patients, visitors and not forgetting Staff.

Are you sure it is definitely ok to encourage someone who may be seriously ill and need surgery to eat and drink prior to an emergency op?

Andrew:Oxford wrote:

Myron Blatz wrote:
Warmer welcome? How about day beds and free refreshments in the A&E waiting room for the average 2-hour wait before being seen (except for ambulance cases) and the equally long-haul before finally departing ...? One reason for the massive waiting times at A&E is that the JR's A&E is a major part of the ever-increasing 'centralisation' of hospital services in the region, not just Oxford or Oxfordshire. The hospital facilities are either mothballed due to funding and staff cutbacks (despite all the new-build projects which seem to keep enlarging the place) or simply were never designed for the throughput and sheer numbers of patients, visitors and not forgetting Staff.

Are you sure it is definitely ok to encourage someone who may be seriously ill and need surgery to eat and drink prior to an emergency op?

(They already have vending machines in the A&E department Andrew.) This outrages me when my son is having to wait 6 weeks for an urgent procedure and we sat waiting in a baking hot waiting area last night because the air-conditioning wasn't working in outpatients. I couldn't care less what the front of the hospital looks like, I would be happier if the money was spent on a decent restaurant where relatives didn't have to shell out £3.50 for a piffling little bowl of salad. I would happier STILL if parking charges were removed and ecstatic if the money was spent on staffing. We have our priorities all wrong if this amount of cash is free to be used on needless cosmetic improvements while people languish in pain because there is no money.

Feelingsmatter wrote:

Andrew:Oxford wrote:

Myron Blatz wrote:
Warmer welcome? How about day beds and free refreshments in the A&E waiting room for the average 2-hour wait before being seen (except for ambulance cases) and the equally long-haul before finally departing ...? One reason for the massive waiting times at A&E is that the JR's A&E is a major part of the ever-increasing 'centralisation' of hospital services in the region, not just Oxford or Oxfordshire. The hospital facilities are either mothballed due to funding and staff cutbacks (despite all the new-build projects which seem to keep enlarging the place) or simply were never designed for the throughput and sheer numbers of patients, visitors and not forgetting Staff.

Are you sure it is definitely ok to encourage someone who may be seriously ill and need surgery to eat and drink prior to an emergency op?

(They already have vending machines in the A&E department Andrew.) This outrages me when my son is having to wait 6 weeks for an urgent procedure and we sat waiting in a baking hot waiting area last night because the air-conditioning wasn't working in outpatients. I couldn't care less what the front of the hospital looks like, I would be happier if the money was spent on a decent restaurant where relatives didn't have to shell out £3.50 for a piffling little bowl of salad. I would happier STILL if parking charges were removed and ecstatic if the money was spent on staffing. We have our priorities all wrong if this amount of cash is free to be used on needless cosmetic improvements while people languish in pain because there is no money.

If parking were free, it would be full of cars owned by Students, Headington shoppers, University staff and other non-patient cars.

With 8000 NHS staff across the sites as well University employees and Students not to mention the patients, the only way free or low cost parking could happen would be for a charity to raise the capital to build a 5000 space multi-storey car park just off London Road or Headley Way.

Would you support such a development? There are some *very* rich charities in the UK.

For those complaining about waiting times in A&E, if we didn't have to treat so many members of the public in minor injuries especially on a weekend for the following reasons..."punched a wall" , "kicked a door",.. "had metal bar fall on face", "gone over on ankle when drunk", "fallen out of window when intoxicated", "alledged assault" your waiting times would be a lot shorter. But the NHS is a free service, and the only responsibilty involved is on our part to treat everyone who turns up. Please take a seat.