BELFAST Trust have launched a new guide to help patients navigate through the RVH complex in West Belfast.
AccessAble guides are a number of online resources that help people find specific destinations within the hospital. Each Detailed Access Guide describes the patient journey and gives disabled people, carers and those with long-term health conditions the information required to plan their visit in advance.
Over the past 12 months, the Trust’s Guides have been viewed 48,252 times by 31,163 users.
Conor O’Kane, who is 37 and is a wheelchair user and outpatient at Belfast Trust’s Royal Victoria Hospita, is one of thousands of patients with additional needs.
“I use AccessAble to help me get around. Being in a wheelchair, it’s great to be able to plan in advance how to get to somewhere on a route that is suitable to me, and the information on the AccessAble guides is key to my planning.
"I would recommend anyone who is going to the hospital for the first time and maybe is a bit daunted by the thought of navigating your way through to go to the website and use the information to help you. It just makes life so much easier and takes stress and worry out of going to a hospital appointment.”
The Guides include photographs and detailed directions and cover everything from arrival on the RVH site, to the facilities throughout the hospital, including lifts, stairs, reception areas, consultation rooms or wards and accessible toilets.
As everyone’s accessibility needs are different, the Trust acknowledges the need to have detailed, accurate information available. The Detailed Access Guides are available on Belfast Trust’s website and AccessAble’s website in a range of accessible formats.
Alistair Campbell, Director of Performance, Planning & Informatics at Belfast Trust said:
“Belfast Trust is committed to being an inclusive and accessible organisation for all those we serve. This investment in Access Guides has positively contributed to transforming patient experience in our hospitals.
"We are delighted to work with AccessAble and believe access to this information makes a real difference for our service users, particularly those who are disabled.”
Anna Nelson, Chief Executive of AccessAble added: “I would like to express my thanks to the Trust for championing the provision of hospital accessibility information and demonstrating what can be achieved through collaborative working and co-production.
"There is a real opportunity now to roll this programme further across Northern Ireland to ensure disabled people and carers have the information they need, regardless of the healthcare service they visit.”
