47% of Visitors Object To New Frimley Park Visiting Hours

9.00.00pm GMT Wed 10th Feb 2010

Following a three-month trial, Frimley Park Hospital has confirmed the abolition of the afternoon visiting slot for patients. Effective from the beginning of this year, the evening visiting period (6.30pm to 8.30pm) is now the only visiting period during weekdays. On weekends, visiting is allowed from 2.30pm to 8pm. During the trial, congestion outside the hospital has been greatly reduced.

However, Frimley Park Hospital's own survey results show widespread unhappiness with the abolition of afternoon visiting during the week. In a survey of visitors, some 47% said that they were inconvenienced by the new times, with a survey of patients reporting a similar proportion.

Frimley Park's own staff were however in favour of the abolition, as the absence of visitors in the afternoon allowed the wards to operate more efficiently. Frimley Park management is also pleased with the result of the trial, as they are planning to reduce the number of parking spaces in the hospital grounds over the next two years as building work continues.

Some visitors questioned why visiting hours could not be staggered instead to ease the congestion problems outside the Hospital. They also cited concerns about the welfare of the patients and lack of contact with doctors in the evening, as well as constraints due to traffic congestion, lack of public transport, and family & work constraints.

It is noteworthy that the visitor surveys show that very few people had used public transport to reach the Hospital. No direct public transport connections & its unreliability were the primary reasons cited for this, as visitors found car travel more convenient.

Whilst the Hospital has not seriously addressed these widespread concerns directly, it has agreed that anyone who has a reason for coming in the afternoon can do so. As most visitors come every day, the intention is that visitors will be issued a Visitors card on request to the Ward staff.

Clr Duncan Clark calls for improvements in public transport provision to Frimley Park Hospital

No outside organisations were consulted by the Hospital on the changes.

Alan Hilliar, local Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman said:" It is a shame that Frimley Park Hospital did not call for input from local organisations at any time over the 9 months that they did their surveys. Local residents, interest groups and councillors could have helped to design a scheme that might have been more acceptable to visitors and patients at Frimley Park than the current one.

"However, we welcome the Hospital's commitment to allowing anyone with good reason to visit in the afternoons, and would encourage everyone who has a problem visiting a patient in the evening to make their problem known to Ward staff."

Lib Dem councillor Duncan Clark, said: "Again, we have to call on the County Council and Frimley Park to work together. It is a County responsibility to ensure public transport provision to the Hospital is fit for purpose. And it is the County Council's responsibility for ensuring that the traffic flows freely around the Hospital."