Northern General Hospital
Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S5 7AUContact details and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
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Reviews
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Review titled Loss of hearing aid
by Olivercat - Posted on 07 December 2023
My father is in his 90s, and was admitted to Northern General Hospital Elderly Patient ward recently. The nurses on the ward were great, but despite me saying to every member of staff I met to look after his false teeth and hearing aid (as his false teeth had been lost during a previous admission), after 2 days his hearing aid was lost, and could not be found. The charge nurse told me that this is a massive problem and happens all the time. If this is the case, why is no-one addressing this problem? It is extremely isolating for anyone using a hearing aid to be without it, and is surely part of their health care. It also necessitates replacement, at some cost to the NHS, taking up valuable appointments and causing further difficulty to my father who then has to travel to appointments. What is so difficult about putting a hearing aid into a container for safe keeping, and whatever happened to treating the whole patient?
Visited November 2023
Provided by Care opinion
Northern General Hospital has not yet replied.
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Review titled Wonderful Staff
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Vicki - Posted on 09 November 2023
My husband has early onset vascular dementia and had a fall at home our GP sent him via ambulance to A&E I just wanted to leave a review to say how lovely all the ambulance and hospital staff were he had multiple scans and tests and each and every member of staff that looked after him were so kind and professional despite it being a busy night we were there for around 5 hours and he even got a drink and a sandwich We hear so many negative things about the NHS I just wanted to post something positive Thankyou so much
Visited Accident and emergency services on November 2023
Northern General Hospital has not yet replied.
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Review titled Worst A&E I ever been
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 03 November 2023
Took 8 hours to see a doctor and being admitted... to be 12 hours admitted-abandoned (They didn't found my record)on a wheelchair on the pre-triage area with massive pain- headache, surrounded by more than hundred loud people... in order to be sent to another hospital. Night nurses/reception were absolutely awful.
Visited Accident and emergency services on November 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 08 November 2023
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to share your recent experience of attending our A&E department. We are sorry to read that you had a poor experience at this time. From your description, the department was very busy at the time of your attendance, which will have had an impact on the waiting time. Due to the nature of an Emergency Department, service delivery will be variable due to capacity, demand and clinical acuity. The sickest patient will always be triaged to be seen first. We endeavour to keep all patients up to date with projected waiting times and offer alternative options to be seen through our streaming and triage services if we feel a more appropriate option is available for timely patient review. We are also sorry to read that your experience with our staff was negative and apologise for this. If you wish to follow this up, please contact our PALS team on 0114 271 2400 or by emailing sth.pals@nhs.net. The PALS team will ask you to share some personal details in order for us to investigate this matter for you.
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled Lengthy wait for transport
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 19 October 2023
My 96 year old mother with late stages alzheimer’s dementia was taken into hospital at around 4am this morning from her care home after falling out of bed. I spoke with the doctor on A & E at 9 am and he was happy for her to go back to the care home after being checked over. I was advised at 12 noon she was still waiting and it would be a couple of hours before the ambulance came to take her back. I have now called again at 5.15 pm to ask if she has left yet and she is still on a bed in A& E waiting. By now she will be most distressed, frightened and probably delirious as she doesn’t know what is happening. The lovely nurses I have spoken to have assured me she is being looked after for which I have no doubt and they say they keep chasing the ambulance and don’t know why it’s taking so long. Surely some priority can be given to returning a 96 year old lady whose been waiting all this time?
Visited Accident and emergency services on October 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 07 November 2023
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to share your recent experience of our A&E service with us. We are pleased to read that you felt that she was well-looked after while in the department however, we are really sorry to read about your elderly mother's extremely long wait for an ambulance. This is an unusually long wait for a patient transport ambulance, so we are very sorry that she had such a long wait for this, we can imagine that this was a distressing time for her and for you, and we apologise for this. As we do not have your mother's details we cannot investigate the reason for this extremely long wait she endured. However, if you wish to follow this up, please contact our PALS team on 0114 271 2400 or by emailing sth.pals@nhs.net. The PALS team will ask you to share some personal details in order for us to investigate this matter for you.
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled Terrible parking
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 26 October 2023
Attempting to attend a&e, dropped daughter off, then circled car park for over an hour, trying to park. Parking is needed, we don’t use public transport for emergencies, nor should we use an ambulance. Sheffield is supposedly a clean air town yet that’s over an hour of unnecessary emissions I created. Actual health care provided was good, but the car park is causing anxiety, frustration and rage for people before they even get into the building. Such a shame to give such a negative first impression, as this means staff , who have very tough jobs, are already on the ‘wrong foot’ and having to work harder to calm the person but rapport etc,
Visited Don't know on October 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 08 November 2023
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to share your recent experience of accessing our services. We are pleased to read that your experience of the care provided was good, but we are really sorry to read about your poor experience trying to find an appropriate parking space at the site. The car park areas around the A&E department are a busy area which includes priority parking spaces for ambulances and for blue badge parking. There are many drop-off points around the site, which you made use of to ensure that your daughter could access the A&E department as soon as possible upon arrival, however we are sorry that you then struggled to find a parking space. As you are aware the NGH site is a large site and there are limited parking spaces around all the hospitals due to constraints on the space available. In our car parking information we do advise that people will need to allow themselves extra time to find a parking space. However, we appreciate that in the instance of attending A&E this is an emergency situation rather than a planned appointment, which is why drop-off close to the department. Depending on the time of day there are SABA car parking representatives around the site who are there to support with parking, but they do patrol the whole site so are not always available in the car park that you are looking for. More information on car parking at the Northern General site can be found on this page: [https://www.sth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/northern-general-hospital/car-parking](https://www.sth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/northern-general-hospital/car-parking) If you wish to follow this up, please contact our PALS team on 0114 271 2400 or by emailing sth.pals@nhs.net. The PALS team will ask you to share some personal details in order for us to investigate this matter for you.
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled Terrible service!
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 09 September 2023
Called with my poorly husband, not too many in waiting room so didn't think we would be too long. Fast forward 5 hours and still not seen a doctor!! The heat was unbearable and to top it off other people constantly coughing and spluttering with no masks on! We had to leave we couldn't tolerate it any longer and now I feel like I'm coming down with something too! Absolutely shocking this place. It is not fit for purpose and I fear it's only a matter of time before it's privatised. I wouldn't come here again unless I was literally dying! That's how bad the service is. My husbands experience isn't a one off, I called last November really unwell, again wasn't seen for hours, they took my blood pressure over a thick winter coat!!! That's the only thing I had done in almost 4 hours, what on earth is going on at this hospital?? Please sort it out people are not getting the care they need and deserve.
Visited Accident and emergency services on September 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 11 September 2023
We are sorry to hear that you recently experienced a long wait for our services. We aim to see patients as quickly as possible and prioritise based on urgency, however at very busy times this can mean that some patients have a long wait, which we are sorry about. The Emergency Department are exploring ways to improve the experience of patients attending and waiting in the department. If you or a loved one is feeling unwell but it is not an emergency situation, we would advise that you first call 111 and speak with the team who will advise you of the best course of action; they may signpost you to the walk-in centre, minor injuries unit, pharmacy, GP or GP Collaborative (if GP support out of hours is required) as other options, as well as the Emergency Department. This should help to reduce waiting times and ensure that you receive help from the most appropriate service. However, if you wish to follow this up, please contact our PALS team on 0114 271 2400 or by emailing sth.pals@nhs.net. The PALS team will ask you to share some personal details in order for us to investigate this matter for you.
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled Variable service - patients leaving after 9.5 hour waits
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Lydia - Posted on 14 September 2023
Visit 1: August 2023. Arrived by ambulance at about 2pm on a Saturday due to "ecg abnormality". In for ecgs x3 ("normal"), bloods x2. Begged for the results by 6pm so I could leave for dinner. This was done. Visit 2 Wed 14/09: gp referral, not happy with low pulse. Triage took an hour. Approx 40 patients 7-10pm, 20 patients 10pm onwards. ecg took 3.5 hours. "Normal". Left (informed reception) when told ultrasound referral would take 3.5 hours. Patient leaving after 9.5 hour wait, other waits reported of 5 and 8 hours. Went to get wait time for a man that had been in since 6pm ?sepsis and was told another 2 hours for him at midnight. One mother and son left after being told the wait for a doctor was five hours. The son had had an abnormal ecg. Visit 3, Thur 15/09: gp advice after additional symptoms. Approx 30 patients 10-11pm, 20 patients 11pm onwards. Much quicker tonight, why was it not like this on other nights? Triage took 30 mins, ecg and blood test after approx 1-1.5 hours, told a two hour wait for a doctor but it is currently at three hours. Patient left after being told he would have a four hour wait. Told "if trauma comes in it'll take longer to be seen". Why is this? Why isn't there a separate system for non urgent a and e patients? Mostly lovely staff, the healthcare assistants and reception staff in particular are kind, good listeners and friendly. Makes such a difference. One nurse rolled her eyes at the gp advice to come to a and e if symptoms worsened and was pretty rude! She's on tonight on triage, 15/09. The vending machine doesn't work with cards, only with coins so bring that or food. The toilet is filthy. Toilets on the wards are cleaned hourly, why isn't the a and e one? It's too hot. Parking is 2.80 all night. Two car parks near a and e full on one occasion. It was good to see two cleaners doing a thorough job at 1am.
Visited Accident and emergency services on September 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 01 November 2023
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to share your experiences of accessing the A&E department recently. Your feedback has been shared with the A&E team who have been able to take your feedback on board and provide a response. In terms of the variability of waiting times which you experienced, the nature of an Emergency Department is that service delivery will be variable due to capacity, demand and clinical acuity. The sickest patient will always be triaged to be seen first. We endeavour to keep all patients up to date with projected waiting times and offer alternative options to be seen through our streaming and triage services if we feel a more appropriate option is available for timely patient review. In terms of the details you provided about specific dates- the day of the week did not align with the date stated. We did however check Wednesday 13th, Thursday 14th September and Friday 15th and on all dates the number of patients in the Emergency Department ranged between 85 and 121 between 7pm and midnight. You would only have been able to see the patients in the waiting room, however, the department were also managing a significant number of patients across the department. The total number includes patients arriving by ambulance as well as patients walking into the department. The team have checked the information for both 13th and 14th September and have advised that the wait to be seen by a doctor appears to have varied between 2-4 hours depending on which day it was. Again, the variation in waiting times is also dependent on clinical acuity. In terms of your query regarding why there is not a separate system for non urgent A&E patients, this would undermine the purpose of a triage system based on clinical urgency. Information advising patients that if a trauma patient comes into the department it will impact on the waiting time for other patients is provided as an explanation, rather than an excuse. As an Emergency Department, we must prioritise the most clinically unwell or injured. There are other streams for receiving care and treatment for non urgent medical issues, such as the Minor Injuries Unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital which is open 8am-8pm every day, the GP Collaborative service which offers out of hours appointments (6pm-8am on weekdays and 24 hours over Weekends and Bank Holidays), offering treatment for patients with minor or less urgent illnesses, and the Walk In Centre on Broad Lane in the City Centre where advice and treatment can be accessed, which is open from 8am- 10pm every day. Thank you for sharing feedback on the positive experiences you have had with staff, this feedback has been shared with the A&E team and it is appreciated. However, we are very sorry for the instance you have mentioned where a nurse was rude to you when discussing your attendance at A&E. We have passed on your feedback regarding the vending machine to the facilities team, as they are responsible for the provision of the vending machine in the waiting area. We are sorry that you found that they toilet in the area was not clean. The frequency of toilet cleaning in the emergency department is higher than ward areas but due to the nature of the waiting area, the toilets can become soiled very quickly. If this is notified to the reception team they can escalated for additional cleaning between regular checks. Thank you for feeding back your recognition of the cleaners doing a thorough job during your attendance, we appreciate this positive feedback and again this has been shared with the team. We are sorry that you found the temperature of the waiting room to be too hot. Air con units have been provided throughout the department including the waiting room but due to the nature of the area it is difficult to control the temperature when the weather was unseasonably warm, so we are sorry that you experienced it feeling too hot when you attended. Regarding the car parking, this is a busy area which includes priority parking spaces for ambulances and for blue badge parking. More information on car parking at the Northern General site can be found on this page:[ https://www.sth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/northern-general-hospital/car-parking ](http://https://www.sth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/northern-general-hospital/car-parking) We hope that this response is helpful to you. However, if you wish to follow this up, please contact our PALS team on 0114 271 2400 or by emailing sth.pals@nhs.net. The PALS team will ask you to share some personal details in order for us to investigate this matter for you.
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled Fantastic standard
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 19 November 2023
of care i am currently receiving at this hospital. I had emergency spine surgery two years ago couldnt fault the standard of care back then (apart from one member of the nursing staff been rude when due to me been totally incontinent and couldnt feel when i needed to go to the bathroom and because i was asleep and messed the bed she wasnt very happy as she had to change the bedding and me) this upset me however it was dealt with by the ward manager who repremanded that member of staff. Consultant and his entire team were absolutely brilliant i ll know this week if i need the same surgery again. the only issue i have is parking there isnt enough especially disabled. the only ones i have found are about six outside the huntsman building (which is where orthopaedics is) and about the same amount in a small car park lower down ..........
Visited Orthopaedics on September 2023
Northern General Hospital has not yet replied.
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Review titled Fantastic care
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 06 September 2023
I suffered two heart attacks last year and was taken into the northern general hospital. The care I received from everyone was fantastic. I have since attended out patient appointments and again every one I have dealt with have been brilliant. On Sunday I had to go for a pacemaker device to be fitted. I was extremely nervous but again the ward staff and lab staff were so caring and understanding. I walked out of the ward later the same day feeling I had been cared for in the best way
Visited Cardiology on September 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 11 September 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are really pleased to read that you had a positive experience and were well looked-after during a procedure you were feeling very nervous about. Wishing you all the best with any ongoing care.
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled Orthopaedic/plastic surgery
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Samantha - Posted on 10 September 2023
I saw my orthopaedic surgeon in may and referred me to plastic surgery.I still have an open wound on my big toe which is failing to heel but have a lot of pain in the toe and the bone and still having bleeding from the wound and pain in my left leg which wakes me up at night .I am on strong medication to take as and when but it’s all the time.I am waiting to see plastic surgeon and keeping my orthopaedic surgeon up to date but it’s just pain and bleeding that’s getting me down.
Visited Orthopaedics on August 2023
Review titled Northern General Hospital
Replied on 11 September 2023
We are very sorry to hear that your wound does not seem to be healing sufficiently and you are experiencing pain and discomfort as a result of this. So that we can follow this up, please contact your care teams if you have contact details for them, or if not, please contact our PALS team on 0114 271 2400 or by emailing sth.pals@nhs.net. The PALS team will ask you to share some personal details in order for us to investigate this matter for you. You may wish to consider booking an appointment with your GP to discuss the pain and discomfort that you are experiencing, while you are awaiting your next appointment with your care teams here at STH.
Provided by Care opinion
Information supplied by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust