Making it easier for patients to visit Guy's and St Thomas'

Patients, staff and visitors, particularly those with disabilities, will be able to make their way around Guy’s and St Thomas’ more easily thanks to a new Accessibility Guide.

The online tool, which is available through the Trust’s website, will allow users to find out where a department is located in relation to the main entrance, where car parking spaces are, whether there are lifts to access others floors in specific parts of the Trust, and to read in-depth information about accessible toilets and much more.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust developed the Accessibility Guide with DisabledGo, a leading provider of accessibility information for disabled people in the UK. All sites included in the Accessibility Guide have been visited and assessed by DisabledGo surveyors.

The launch was marked on Friday 21 July at a special event at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Julie Screaton, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development at Guy’s and St Thomas’, spoke at the event and welcomed the initiative on behalf of the Board. She said:  “Visiting hospital can often be stressful, and at Guy’s and St Thomas’ we are doing all we can to make sure patients feel welcome, safe, and cared for. Making these access guides available is a real step forward in this regard, and will enable patients to plan ahead and have a clear understanding of the hospital during their visit.

“In such a large and complex environment as Guy’s and St Thomas’, this is particularly important. The excellent work that has made the online tool possible further demonstrates the Trust’s commitment to putting patients at the centre of everything we do.”

Anna Nelson, Executive Director at DisabledGo.com, said: “Accessibility information is vital, not just for disabled people, but carers, older people and those of us who can feel anxious visiting a new place for the first time. The Trust’s investment in this comprehensive information will enable people to plan, lower anxiety and help improve everyone’s experience while visiting.

“The partnership between Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and DisabledGo strongly links to the Trust’s commitment to deliver patient-centred, compassionate care and I hope that the Trust is recognised for its trailblazing role, both in London and nationally. We look forward to hearing people’s feedback about the service and will be developing an app version, which will be available in 2018.”

As part of the launch, stalls were set up at St Thomas’ Hospital for partner organisations to give patients and visitors information about accessing wider community services in the area.

Find out more about the accessibility guides on the equality and diversity pages of Guy’s and St Thomas’ website.