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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

Parents

  • 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.

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

    Now that's really advanced thinking! 

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