Locate A Patient: Frustrations
Published by Stephen Milward in Medical · Monday 09 Mar 2026 · 3 minutes
Tags: locate, a, patient, frustrations, no, one, picks, up, the, phone, healthcare, communication, patient, access, phone, issues, medical, assistance, patient, care, healthcare, challenges
Tags: locate, a, patient, frustrations, no, one, picks, up, the, phone, healthcare, communication, patient, access, phone, issues, medical, assistance, patient, care, healthcare, challenges
Hospitals. Love or hate them, we all need them at some time in our lives. When a loved one is admitted to hospital, it's very stressful for family and friends as well of course for the patient. So when a hospital sets out to help families, it's not too much to ask that they do so efficiently.
So, I give you Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (i). King's Mill Hospital (ii) is our local hospital. You may hope that the information on their website is accurate, especially with fundamental information like visiting times. It isn't.
This is taken from their website (iii):
General visiting guidelines
- Visiting hours are between 11am and 7pm. If you need to make arrangements out of this time please contact the ward directly.
That's wrong. Visiting starts at 11.30am. How do I know? I've been to King's Mill today and visiting starts at 11.30am. Why is the information on the website wrong? There's no excuse.
Secondly, finding a patient. The extension number to find a patient at King's Mill is 3763. This number is given in the automated message when you ring the hospital and it's on the website (iv). I tried it. No-one picks up. It's useless. When I got to King's Mill, I asked reception and they gave me location information, which turned out to be wrong! Don't advertise a number and then not answer the call. Don't have reception give wrong information. It's pure nonsense and can wind people up who are already stressed.
And while I'm on the King's Mill Hospital topic, stop people smoking on the premises. The website claims that they are a 'smokefree trust' (v). No they're not. Every single time I go, there's smokers fagging away near the main door, sometimes right next to the no-smoking signs. Does King's Mill enforce their policy? No they don't. So why have it? Tell security to move these smokers off the premises. Just do it. I don't want to walk pass fag ends when going to a hospital.
So, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, please sort yourself out. Immediately.
(ii) King's Mill Hospital
