No Time to Wait

Summary and Recommendations:

• Most of the issues and complaints raised by patients were related to transport and access. A collaborative approach to resolving these issues involving patients, providers and Healthwatch Manchester has been recognised.
• Unresolved transport issues can have a profound impact on patient experience whilst receiving treatment at the Altrincham Dialysis Unit (ADU), and can significantly affect patients’ overall quality of life.
• The main challenge to be addressed is journey planning around patient appointments. The Patient Transport Service (PTS) needs to work closely with ADU and the Central Manchester Foundation Trust (CMFT) regarding this matter.
• Some delays in patient journeys may be avoidable with more effective appointment time planning to help minimise transport waiting times.
• Parking and vehicle accessibility issues at Altrincham Hospital can often be the root cause for many patient transport issues which can then affect other hospital services.
• Existing patient transport arrangements can often conflict with the closing time of the dialysis unit and create planning issues around staffing.
• Wider issues around accessibility (especially vehicular) should be priority considerations when services are relocated or centralised.
• More needs to be done regarding information and signposting for patients to enable them to access established and/or new community based services in their area.