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Transforming Access at Gloucestershire Royal with New Detailed Guides
Thanks to your generosity, a new charity funded project is helping to make hospital visits more accessible for disabled people, carers and visitors.
New guides created by AccessAble - a disabled-led organisation with over 25 years of experience providing accessibility information - have been launched for Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, with Cheltenham General planned to follow early next year.
The Access Guides describe each patient or visitor journey step by step; from arriving on site and parking to navigating through entrances, lifts, stairs, and corridors. They provide extensive written detail, relevant measurements and high-quality photographs, including 360-degree images of accessible toilets and changing places facilities.
Today at the Atrium, Director of Quality and Chief Nurse Matt Holdaway officially launched the project with Richard Smith, Associate Director of the Charity, thanking supporters for making this incredible project possible. Staff, patients and visitors were able to logon and see firsthand how the new guides will help support and empower people visiting our hospitals.
As well as covering a wide range of access needs - including physical, sensory, cognitive, and mental health requirements - they also consider factors such as quiet spaces, wayfinding, signage, lighting and seating, which can be particularly important for people with anxiety, autism, dementia or sensory processing differences.
At the launch event, Rebecca Fell, Patient and Carer Experience Improvement Manager, was on hand to discuss the project and talk through the access guides with visitors, staff and supporters.
“At Gloucestershire Hospitals, we are committed to making our services as accessible and inclusive as possible. The AccessAble guides will give patients, staff, carers and visitors the information they need before they travel, helping to remove barriers, improve confidence and create a better experience for everyone."
Director of Improvement and Delivery at the Trust, Will Cleary-Gray, also added, “Coming to hospital can be stressful, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the site or have specific access requirements. These guides will help people plan ahead with confidence by providing detailed information about our facilities before they arrive. We know everyone's accessibility needs are different. By working with AccessAble, we can provide clear, reliable information that helps people make informed decisions about their visit and reduces some of the uncertainty that can come with attending hospital.”
Thank you to all of our supporters whose donations have helped make this project a reality. To view the Access Guides, please visit https://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/your-visit/accessibility/accessable-accessibility-guides/
Making hospital life better
