The signage in building B at Box Hill hospital is seriously deficient and is the daily cause of patients getting lost, disoriented, and very anxious. I have drawn this matter to the attention of senior staff in writing over a two year period with no attempt at improvement even though all agree that there is a problem and that it affects our consumers.
The new Strategic Plan highlights “kindness” as one of Eastern Health’s values including “great patient experiences”. When you can’t find where you should be in a hospital because of poor or missing signs there is a serious problem and it is not a great experience at all.
Volunteers were appointed two years ago to assist with way finding but their attendance is inconsistent and despite their presence the problems remain.
In May 2016 I was told that Site and Redevelopment staff would be given my feedback and would be doing a walk through. They may have walked through, but nothing has changed and I continue to advocate.
An overarching problem seems to be that the public do not realise that there are two buildings which merge at the atrium, that each building is separately identified as A or B, and each provides a different range of services, but only building A has a reception desk. The electronic board at Nelson Rd. entrance does not help most people.
To improve the patient’s experience or to “walk in the patient’s shoes”, building B needs way finding signs that are unambiguous, in large print with contrasting colours, expressed in common English and include all services, lifts and toilets.
Examples of distressing scenarios are when a claustrophobic teenager, found crouching in a corner of outpatients crying, who needed to reach Allied Health on level three, but is unable to enter a lift and cannot find the stairs.
Or an elderly person who has left their car in the basement car park and because they are now in building B for an appointment do not realize that the car park is beneath building A and they become disoriented and distressed trying to find their way back to their car.
Or the elderly man gripping his trouser front saying to me in a pleading but angry voice - where the hell can a man have a pee in this place?
Or when appointment texts and slips give incomplete or incorrect information such as - please attend Box Hill Hospital at 2 pm on June 3 - but fail to give the clinic name or where it is.
Signs for lifts are invisible or non-existent, yet many busy services are on upper levels.
After two years I believe it must be within the ability of staff to remedy this problem despite competing priorities. Am I mistaken?
If signage was evaluated from the patient’s perspective as a vital component of the patient’s experience, I believe it would fail. Do the Accreditation Surveyors look at signage I wonder?
"Signage / Way Finding at Box Hill Hospital"
About: Box Hill Hospital Box Hill Hospital Box Hill 3128
Posted by Way Finding (as ),
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