IT PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Trust ‘leads the way’ with online presence
S
outh Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust is the first hospital in the region to provide an
online plan of its site for disabled visitors to plot their route to an appointment, via directenquiries. com, the Nationwide Access Register.
Specialist in providing access audits and public access guides, Direct Enquiries spent eight days on site auditing all the public facing facilities at the trust. Auditors plotted routes around the hospital, looking for obstacles and access assistance.
This information has been uploaded online to www.
directenquiries.com where users can now take part in ‘virtual tours’ to plan their visit.
Details such as the use of braille, hearing loops, chair lifts, ramps and appropriately positioned door handles and lift buttons have all been taken into account. The information provided allows disabled visitors and parents with prams or pushchairs to plan a journey before they leave the house. This eliminates the chances they will encounter any potential obstacles when reaching their destination.
Ian Frame, executive director for personnel and development at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are extremely proud to be the first trust in the north east to invite Direct Enquiries to ‘road-test’ our signage and access. Accessibility is a top priority for us and there is definitely a demand for this level of service amongst our disabled patients.
“Each visitor to the hospital needs to know exactly where their appointment is and how to
92 nhe
get there. This technology will help reduce any anxiety or stress caused by ending up in the wrong department or arriving late.”
The trust’s adoption of the online service was announced in the run-up to its ‘Show Me the Way’ initiative to improve access around the hospital which ensures signage is used extensively throughout its buildings and that staff are fully site-briefed to give directions to all departments, wards and facilities.
Offering a full directory service of UK companies and detailing the access and facilities available, the Nationwide Access Register provided by Direct Enquiries offers a much-needed service for disabled people in the UK through its website.
Direct Enquiries is working with NHS trusts across the UK to make it easier for people with specific access needs to find accessible health care providers. It has already completed projects with a number of public organisations including the Association of Train Operating Companies, Natural England, the Post Office and a range of hospitals.
Grant Kennedy, chief executive of Direct Enquiries, said: “In the UK, 1 in 4 people are directly affected by disability. It is therefore important for NHS Trusts in particular, to demonstrate that they have clear, simple and easy to navigate routes throughout each hospital. We hope that more hospitals like this one in South Shields will be keen to follow suit to ensure each disabled visitor can have a hassle-free experience when getting around their hospital.”
Jul/Aug 10
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