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Share ideas for making waiting rooms in hospitals and GP surgeries less onerous

Marianne72

Lately, I've spent a large amount of time in hospital and GP waiting rooms - this is to do with ageing also putting on weight. I ought to pay for a season ticket for my own chair Slight smile. The main difficulties I have with waiting are bustle, sounds, boredom, too many people I don't know, the waste of time. How could waiting rooms be made positive or useful? These are my ideas but please share yours - the more outlandish the better:

1. muscle stimulating devices attached to each chair, to 'exercise' arms and legs

2. community jigsaw puzzle for visitors to help complete

3. ditto knitting or crocheting squares for charity blankets 

4. a points system [like supermarkets] allowing you to upgrade waiting times, get a prize - pack of vitamin B or D, or hospital lottery ticket

  • in reply to Marianne72

    There was a fish tank in the vets waiting room where I used to go, my cat found it really calming to watch.

  • in reply to mp500
    mp500 said:
    they even had coloured lines on the floor, which if you follow them, will take you from the fracture clinic to x-ray etc.

    These are a great idea. They used to have them at the Barbican.

  • in reply to Dawn
    Dawn said:
    There's even a sensory waiting room. 

    Now that's really advanced thinking! 

  • in reply to DormouseAtRest_25

    Gosh, you are super organised. A lot of very useful ideas there! Thanks for taking the time to do this. 

  • in reply to Lotus

    Now I would love both of those. The fish tank is feasible. I'm sure I've seen them in dentist waiting rooms.

  • Fish tanks and quiet instrumental music

  • I have tried advocating locally / regionally for more Neurodivergent-friendly hospital and GP waiting areas ...with very limited success.

    Now, I take the "DIY" do-it-yourself approach by having a bag packing list to better support my attending healthcare settings. 

    Each persons requirements / preferences will be unique, however, here are some of my standard considerations:

    PRINT and CHECK-OFF:
    (Pre-appointment packing list).
    - Healthcare Appointment
    - GP Practice / Hospital Outpatient
    - Packing List (using a dedicated task bag / backpack).
    00) Weeks Before An Appointment Tasks:
    (Self-Advocacy / Disclosure / Calendar):
    - Advance-email to the medical team re: Allergy, Mental / Physical Health key points, Neurodivergent reasonable adjustments and your National Autistic Society "My Health Passport" (the Hospital PALS Patient Advice and Liaison Service can help you send it to the correct medical team Secretary).
    - If you have a learning difference, or autism, your Hospital may have a learning disability liaison team available to support you when preparing to attend an Hospital appointment - ask PALS or look on your Hospitals website (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/learning-disabilities/going-into-hospital/).
    - Schedule in your calendar sending an awareness email update to anyone if supporting your transport /  accompanying you to the appointment.
    - Send email apologies re: any other calendar clashes where the medical appointment now needs to take priority over a regular prior engagement.
    01) Essential Tasks:
    (Done, At Least, By The Day Before An Appointment):
    - Check your balance availability on a contactless card if it is needed for paying to park the car / buy a bus or train ticket / purchase a drink or snack.
    - Minimum wallet / purse contents (some notes or coins).
    - Map pdf in a mobile folder (parking / buildings layout / bus route).
    - Timetable pdf in a mobile folder (bus or train).
    - Mobile (fully charged & sim credit topped up if pay-as-you-go ...to deal with any arrangement changes, or assistance required on the day).
    - Printed paper appointment letter (to hand to reception personnel/ clinical team).
    - If driving; check car fuel & driving glasses if worn. 
    02) Personal Paper Admin:
    (An A5 10 Pockets Display Book / An A5 Paper Notebook Are Useful - Prepared Before The Day Of The Appointment):
    - Current medications & supplements list.
    - Note of medications which previously gave you a bad side effect.
    - Appointment-related diagrams (the clinician could annotate for your future reference).
    - Known key health parameters (in case they ask do you know your ...last blood test results etc.  This is sometimes helpful if the IT systems between GP / Secondary Care / Hospital / Mental Health teams are fragmented, or you have used a Private Healthcare service for something).
    - Personal health / family history summary page (which a clinician can read rather than you have to remember and explain yourself when stressed).
    - Feedback pain / frustration scale chart (you can point at it if you are finding something difficult),
    - Body map diagram (to show the clinician where you mean you experience a problem).
    - A copy on your mobile of your Neurodivergent / Hospital reasonable adjustments passport (in case you need to refer to it).
    - A copy on your mobile of your National Autistic Society "My Health Passport" (in case you need to refer to it).
    - Name & phone number of the relative / friend / neighbour / taxi firm / patient transport service collecting me to take me home after the appointment (if I am not travelling by car / bus / train ...or, if the medic uses a medication during the appointment and only THEN says you cannot drive yourself home, or travel by public transport solo).
    03) General Admin:
    (e.g. A Large Pencil Case):
    - A Pen (to complete forms / take notes).
    - A Highlighter Pen (to mark important instructions / information a medic pointed out to you on a leaflet).
    - Reading glasses if required.
    - Pocket diary (if you don't use a calendar on your mobile).
    - Your minimum keyring (front door / car / RADAR disabled toilet access key if appropriate).
    - Autism Alert Card (who to contact if you require support).
    - Sunflower hidden disability lanyard (if you make use of one in healthcare settings).
    - Wrist watch (if you prefer one to checking a mobile).
    04) Hygiene & Comfort & Medication:
    (Small Zipped Toiletries Bag):
    - Antibacterial surface wipes.
    - Antibacterial hand gel.
    - Face mask.
    - Tissues / handkerchief.
    - Soap leaves (if you can react to some provided soaps).
    - Hair comb (a trying day can be reset a little, several times, by going to the bathroom and giving your hair a comb).
    - Small Microfibre Hand Towel (avoids scratchy paper towels / noisy hand blowers).
    - Lip balm (healthcare settings and anxious travel can be drying).
    - Hand cream (in a travel bottle, can be regulating for some people).
    - Travel toothbrush & travel toothpaste (another way to feel you have reset a trying day).
    - Something with a fragrance you find soothing (e.g. a cologne stick, fragrant skin refreshing tissues, a small tin of solid perfume, or a few drops of essential oil on a tissue).
    - A few small sour / mint sweets ...if your procedure instructions permit them (can help to quel anxiety).
    - Any current medication you require.
    05) Food & Drink:
    (Lunch Bag):
    - Tap water from home (take your refillable water bottle).
    - A small camping mug.
    - A small flask of coffee / tea ...if your procedure instructions permit it.
    - An easily portable snack / light lunch if your procedure instructions permit it (or for use on the journey home).
    - A spork.
    - A couple of pieces of kitchen roll and a small plastic zip lock bag for refuse.
    06) Neurodivergent Support:
    (A smaller bag inside your main bag):
    - Warm hat & gloves / sunhat or baseball cap & sunglasses (to both suit the season and your mode of transport, plus, to help shield you from bright overhead lights).
    - A folding paper hand fan (healthcare settings can be hot & stuffy).
    - A folding shopping tote (in case the medical team send you home with items you had not expected).
    - Folding foam sit mat (healthcare waiting room chairs can be very uncomfortable, plus, if the weather co-operates; it gives you the option of sitting outdoors somewhere for a bit of a break).
    - Ear plugs / ear buds / ear defenders / noise cancelling headphones to suit your need and preference.
    - A couple of entertainment / distraction / regulation techniques e.g. a sketchpad & pencil for doodling, a silent fidget toy of your choice, a puzzle or quiz book, a book to read, crochet / origami / knot a paracord bracelet or some other low-mess craft.
    - a photo which you find helpful as part of your mindfulness / grounding strategies.

  • I was thinking fidget toys, noise cancelling headphones, puzzles. 

  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum
    Expecto_Patronum said:
    Why do they make hospitals so confusing? How do people navigate it without help?

    It is indeed - but I notice a lot now have volunteers, who either point you in the right direction or sometimes take you if you ask. This also gives roles to retired people like me, who otherwise feel disconnected from the community.

  • in reply to Iain
    Iain said:
    You didn't say anything about the options being practical...

    No, I didn't, because many great ideas begin with thinking outside the box Unlock. 

    Iain said:
    I'm sure the surgery could live stream

    Now there's a convertable idea, for example. They usually have TV in these places so they could make a video of  current problems they face, asking people waiting if they suggest solutions - with a small thank you for feasible ideas - a book token or suchlike. They have fund-raisers who can usually find pots of money for such things. 

  • in reply to Iain
    Iain said:
    who can hog tie a chiwawa using a ball of string without getting bitten

     Chihuahua? Perhaps reserve this for somebody who freely chooses to do bad things.

  • Just received this response from the radiology team: 'If you need to come again please speak to the receptionist as it would have been possible to move you through to the ultrasound department prior to your appointment where there is another very small waiting area that would have been quieter than the main waiting area for you.' I find this very positive - so it is worth giving feedback!

  • Hmmm...been in highly anxious states occasionally to the point of meltdown and often in shutdown in those environments, which does then make the appointment itself difficult or impossible.

    I don't have any 'outlandish' suggestions, but there are quite a lot of basic simple things which help.  Some new building do that and some older buildings are a nightmare.

    • maximum natural light/minimal or dimmer artificial light
    • A quiet, clutter free space to wait and /or outside waiting area for those of us who can't cope in crowds or with noise or with the medical smell
    • And definitely no Telly or screen pumping out health information or gory posters on the wall - they really get to me.

    My GP's surgery is in a new build and they have thought about this stuff.  There's even a sensory waiting room.  The local A&E by contrast is a nightmare.  No natural light and always stuffed to the rafters with chaos going on all around - people in in police custody and kicking off etc. 

    Trouble is the staff don't always understand the need. One person I know was told she could wait in the children's waiting room which is quieter by a receptionist, only to later shouted at by a nurse for being there.  One ADHDer I know was told he couldn't wait outside by one receptionist but then told he could by another.  

    It should be simple enough - one sensory friendly little space with one simple policy that says anyone who asks for it because they are ND or very anxious in that environment can use on simple request without any other justification needed.

  • I would just like a text if they are running more than ten minutes behind so I can time my arrival accordingly and minimise time in the waiting room.

  • in reply to Marianne72

    Yes. That is a good idea. I'd prefer they did the whole thing by a number to be honest. I know they probably wouldn't because people would get confused or miss their turn. But I hate it when my full name flashes up when it's my turn.

  • in reply to vardaguyn
    vardaguyn said:
    How would this work?

    For those who actually turn up for their appointments! My GP surgery has a screen and they put the number of appointments where patients did not turn up over a month and the number is huge - nearly 100. 

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    I suggested they screen off a few chairs or behind a pillar and put a note asking for these to be kept for people who prefer quiet. You would have to rely on others not taking these if they didn't need them, though.

  • in reply to Expecto_Patronum
    Expecto_Patronum said:
    ow many people were left before you get see

    They manage this sort of queue system at Argos! Surely they could do the same when the Receptionist books you in. Instead of names, for privacy you could be given a ticket number as at Argos, then you see your turn coming on a screen. 

  • in reply to Iain

    My GP surgery is great as you can book online and they give you a 5 minute to the dot slot that very same day

  • Marianne72 said:
    These are my ideas but please share yours - the more outlandish the better:

    How about a Squid Games approach - 1 appointment and 5 people arrive for it - the last one standing gets the appointment.

    You could have all sorts of games from who can balance the most plates on their head to who can hog tie a chiwawa using a ball of string without getting bitten.

    It would be great entertainment for the others waiting and I'm sure the surgery could live stream it on the internet to help pay for more doctors in the long run.

    You didn't say anything about the options being practical...