"Shocked by conduct of the receptionist"

I was shocked by the arrogant and unhelpful attitude of the receptionist when I tried to obtain a wheelchair at the main reception. I had been advised to try to get one around the entrance area by busy staff working in the ward.

The receptionist had incorrectly told me the ward would order a wheelchair, therefore I returned to the ward to be told no, it was not the case that they could. Staff working in the critical care building advised me that there may be some around lifts and one even tried to help me look for one around the ward & in the surrounding corridor.

I was then directed down to the main reception area again, to see if one was available in a quiet area. I asked a support worker if he knew where one would be located & he advised to ask again at reception. As I approached the reception a porter left an empty wheelchair. I asked the receptionist if I could take the wheelchair and they proceeded to be unhelpful & rude. They laughed and smirked when I said my husband wanted to go to ATM & shop. This was done in front of other people in a busy area. I took the wheelchair, telling the receptionist that they were rude and that I would be complaining.

Upon my return my husband and I spoke to the manager who was already roughly aware of what had happened. A bizarre explanation followed from the manager: 3 staff members had apparently witnessed what had unfolded and felt it had been handled well (!). I was told that the receptionist had had 5 people be rude to them prior to me speaking to them. That they hadn't been able to obtain wheelchairs.

The manager did go on to say there were ongoing problems with a shortage of wheelchairs. And that he would be following a procedure to flag up my experience. The manager said that he would be contacting the ward, which is in the Critical Care building, directly himself.

Irrespective, what occurred at the reception desk was in my opinion completely unnecessary & avoidable. Furthermore on reading through other Care Opinion reviews, I found a response from a Senior Equality manager which states:

1. Carers, Visitors, Patients and Service Users who require support with getting around the RVH site can use the Belfast Shopmobility@RVH service which is located in the main foyer near the public shop. The service offers the use of electric scooters and wheelchairs. The service is free and simply requires becoming a Belfast Shopmobility member which can take 15 minutes.

Could the manager have directed me to this service which was about 20 yards from where they spoke to us? 

I would say the treatment I have received does not reflect how I’ve been treated anywhere else in the hospital. In the ward there is a culture of helping & supporting each other. For example I had to strip my husband’s bed when he was sick & help make it, as the nurses were busy dealing with another patient, in need of more urgent help, in the bay. Another time I washed another patients clothing which was incorrectly placed with my husband’s. When I wasn’t there another patient’s relative did something on my husband’s behalf.

Our world was turned upside down when we were directed urgently to the RVH by our GP. And we’ve experienced the worst 2 weeks of our lives.

The distance between the reception area and the ward at the far end of the 5th floor is considerable. I felt the receptionist had fobbed me off initially with a quick explanation and it annoyed them that I’d returned for a 2nd time.

I think the 2 staff members I encountered here (and definitely the 3 who felt it had been “handled well”) should be trained on how deal with patients & relatives in a more sensitive & practical way. I remain shocked by how I was treated. I hope that changes are made. I do not want someone else to have my experience.