Darent Valley Hospital
Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8DAContact details and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Patient ratings and reviews
Leave a review
Help others by sharing your thoughts and experiences about Darent Valley Hospital.
Reviews
-
Review titled Poor patient service
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 02 August 2022
Family member was rushed in by ambulance. 5 Hours later and Still nobody bothers to answer the phone so we can get an update. Elderly relative with suspected sepsis! Worried family!!! not on! Then was spoken to by extremely arrogant operator who shrugged of my panic and concern with sarcastic and patronising responses.
Visited Accident and emergency services on August 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 24 October 2022
We were sorry to read that our service didn't meet your expectations. Our staff do have to prioritise caring for patients before answering the telephones though we do appreciate that this can be extremely frustrating and worrying for relatives. We will of course look into this especially if you say the respondent was unhelpful. Kindest regards Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
-
Review titled The best staff
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 04 September 2022
I can not express how happy I was to be cared for by the most amazing staff. They were kind, caring and so supportive. I felt in safe hands all the way through my induction, birth and recovery. They made my birth experience so positive. Thank you a million times over!
Visited Maternity services on July 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 24 October 2022
Thank you for taking the time to write this lovely review. With our best wishes Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
-
Review titled Not a great experience.
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Megan - Posted on 22 July 2022
I called 111, and was advised to attend A&E for a burn. In my opinion, your staff may need more training on hidden disabilities. I was clearly wearing my sunflower lanyard, yet on arrival at the sort of 'pre-reception', we were told my partner would not be able to go through with me and would have to wait elsewhere due to the small GP & NP waiting area. Only when I started crying from the overwhelming anxiety of being told I would have to go through on my own, did the member of staff start asking me what was wrong and why I was crying - clearly I couldn't talk! But managed to get words out that I have ASD and my partner said this too and that I don't go anywhere on my own, so it was agreed that he could come through with me - which whilst I appreciate this, clearly no thought was given to me wearing my lanyard as a clear sign that I have a disability. As I have ASD, I can have light & sound sensitivity. Unfortunately, people waiting in the main waiting room in front of the main ED reception were talking very loudly and it was very full, so I really struggled with this. This made it very hard to hear what the ED receptionist was saying because of the noise level & my sensitivity to this, and the receptionist seemed to get slightly annoyed that I had to keep asking them to repeat what they were saying. I was then directed to go through to the GP & NP waiting area to be seen by a NP. We were a bit confused of what to do on arrival to the GP & NP area, as no one greets you on arrival or directs you what to do, so it wasn't obvious that you just have to sit down & wait - there was a small sign on the open door, but we didn't see this. The door was also being held open by a bin - I'm pretty sure you're not meant to do that for fire safety reasons? I waited for just over 3 hours, not even being seen by any clinicians or nursing staff. Other people who came in after me were being seen first - which I get that you're triaged and given a 'priority rating' that is not known to yourself, and obviously if you're low priority like I probably was, you keep getting pushed further down the list by higher priority people - low priority people do need to be seen at some point and preferably not hours later. Over the tannoy, a member of staff announced that the whole of ED had over 150 patients, and so the wait would be 5 hours minimum from the point of being booked in at reception and that people should consider leaving and using another service or use 111. So ED was clearly overstretched then and I don't blame the staff and staff were frustrated at people moaning about the wait times (I didn't personally moan!). However, we decided to leave, because I was getting very overwhelmed with being in a tiny & busy waiting room for 3 hours. I would use the service again, but I hope the next time I visit, that staff are more aware of hidden disabilities. It would be great if improvements were made to the hospital/ED to accommodate ASD & other hidden disabilities better.
Visited Accident and emergency services on July 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 24 October 2022
We were sorry to read that your experience at Darent Valley Hospital was not a positive one when you visited us especially regarding your hidden disabilities. We are interested to hear about your experience and if you would like us to look into the concerns, you have raised please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) who will be happy to assist. Their contact details are: Telephone: 01322 428382 or email: dgn-tr.PALS@nhs.net
-
Review titled A & E - unsuitable waiting room for children
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 24 July 2022
First of all I have to mention - this is not a bad review about any staff member! I have been here numerous times and received the best treatment from nurses and doctors who have always looked after me and my babies well. My complaint is purely about the change in the waiting area for a and e children! The usual waiting room in A&E used to have a separate area for parents with young children. Today my 2 year old son had to be taken and we had to sit in the the waiting room with adults - usually this is not something I would even think would be a problem but when you are sat with adults who are in pain and not happy with the waiting time all you hear is swearing from them. I'm not easily offended but it was not a nice atmosphere for my son and all the other children there who had to sit and listen to these adults using all sorts of foul language. It is a small room so there is no avoiding it either! I've always highly rated this hospital and their staff but this change to the waiting room was very disappointing today. It was not a suitable area for young kids and a really bad idea to mix adults waiting with them. When young children are involved priority should be given to them to have a calm atmosphere to what is an already stressful situation for them. I really hope somebody reading this can understand this point. It is easy to say this is an isolated incident - but common sense would tell you that it's a bad idea in general and should be avoided.
Visited Accident and emergency services on July 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 24 October 2022
We were sorry to read that your latest experience at Darent Valley Hospital was not a positive one. If you would like us to look into the concerns, you have raised please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) who will be happy to assist. Their contact details are: Telephone: 01322 428382 or email: dgn-tr.PALS@nhs.net
-
Review titled Excellent thorough diagnosis
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Dr James M Hirons - Posted on 08 July 2022
Severe pain in groin Presented to A and E and had blood tests,urine test,CT scan, ultrasound scan ,IV infusion and several chats with the helpful dr Kidney stones were diagnosed and we felt the care and careful investigation was excellent We now have a referral to urology for treatment .all the staff were kindly and competent and we were relieved to see that the NHS is still working well.
Visited Accident and emergency services on July 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 11 July 2022
Dear Dr Hirons Thank you for your lovely review of our A&E Department and our wonderful staff. We will ensure that your kind words are passed onto them. With our best wishes
-
Review titled Staff here are so kind
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Olivia - Posted on 22 July 2022
The attitude of the staff members in this A&E was exceptionally kind and caring, despite the immense amount of pressure they are clearly under with numbers of patients. I felt cared for as an individual. I will be writing a letter of thanks specifically highlighting the members of staff who went above and beyond for me, on what was quite a frightening day!
Visited Accident and emergency services on July 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 24 October 2022
Thank you for this lovely review which we will share with our staff. With our best wishes Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
-
Review titled Great department.
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Mr EC - Posted on 08 July 2022
I have just had an excellent visit to the Poplar Unit. I had been dreading my appointment, but all the staff were helpful and pleasant. The urology nurse in particular made me feel at ease. She was a good listener and did not talk down to me. She was clearly very experienced, very thorough and helpfully informative. I left feeling that everything that could be done was being done.
Visited Urology on July 2022
Review titled Darent Valley Hospital
Replied on 11 July 2022
Dear Mr EC Thank you for this glowing review of our Poplar Unit and our staff. It is always lovely to read reviews such as this. We will ensure that your kind words are passed onto the team. With our best wishes
Information supplied by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust