Overall: Extremely poor. Nappy change, rest, feed (no microwave).
Good Points: Additional powerpoints in the Level 4 room. Bench. Sink, soap and paper towel. Rubbish bin. Loads of space. Armchairs.
Bad Points: Inadequate signs and fitout. Terrible hygiene regarding nappy disposal. No nappy mats or proper change space in the bench. No proper nappy disposal bin. Pressure swing doors. No toilets in the rooms. No food prep facilities. Cold.
Good Points: Additional powerpoints in the Level 4 room. Bench. Sink, soap and paper towel. Rubbish bin. Loads of space. Armchairs.
Bad Points: Inadequate signs and fitout. Terrible hygiene regarding nappy disposal. No nappy mats or proper change space in the bench. No proper nappy disposal bin. Pressure swing doors. No toilets in the rooms. No food prep facilities. Cold.
I thought this was going to be a much better trip than it turned out to be. We were at Blacktown Hospital with the rest of the extended family to visit a very dear and much loved member of the family. While we took turns visiting, I decided to have a look at the Parent Rooms in the hospital. Now being in a hospital, I thought at least the hygiene standards would have been over and above expectations. Blacktown Hospital is a public hospital so isn’t exactly overrun with surplus funds (to say the least), but the hygiene standards of these Parent Rooms is just pitiful. It makes me wonder a little about the hygiene standards throughout the rest of the hospital.
First up, I’ll tell you about the Parent Room on Level 3 (ground level). It’s not overly well sign posted, which is never a good indication of things to come. During a lull in conversation and needing to stretch my legs, I decided to go for a wander and see what I could find. Just past the waiting room type area of the ground level, along the back wall, is a Westpac ATM with a Directory sign next to it.
At the bottom of the sign I found the arrow pointing to the toilets and another one pointing to the Parent Room. Now normally toilets and Parent Rooms are in the same direction, so I was initially a little puzzled about the arrow pointing downwards for the Parent Room. Hmmmmm……where were the stairs to take me down to the next floor? I couldn’t see any. Was I meant to crack a hole in the floor and burrow my way down to the Parent Room? Probably not. So I thought I’d head off to the left, in the direction of the toilets, and see what I could find. Do you know what I found?! A Parent Room!!! (lousy sign)
Quick note before I go on, the Parent Room actually has ‘Change Rooms’ written on the door (yep, a handwritten sign). I know, it’s not terribly clear but this is where you are meant to feed and change your bub. ‘Change Room’ huh……I was expecting it to be a staff locker room.
Anyway, the Parent Room is basically just a spare room that has had a bench, sink and couple of chairs thrown in it. There’s not even a proper hygienic nappy disposal bin, like you see pretty much everywhere else you go. And this is a hospital!! The last place you’d expect to see an open top waste paper bin to be used for nappy disposal.
The chairs are wipe-clean armchairs. Comfortable enough for sitting down while you feed. There’s a few of them in here too, so some one’s missing out up on the wards. The door is the usual non-user-friendly pressure swing door which can’t be locked for privacy. It’s not wide enough to cater for a double side-by-side pram and it’d be tough going with a regular chunky style pram too.
The bench is a disaster. It’s just a regular old bench, with a sink stuck in it. It’s so narrow that only a short baby would be comfortable changed on here. There’s not a single change mat to be seen anywhere. No paper towel to put on the narrow bench either. Nothing! Personally, I’d be changing my little one on the floor instead. At least I know they’ll be safer there.
There’s just nothing that great to say about the Level 3 Parent Room. When I made it to Level 4, there was a proper Parent Room sign on the door. This gave me a bit more hope. Sadly it ended up being a fat load of nothing. Just the same as the room on Level 3. No lock on the door, no proper nappy disposal bin, no paper towel, no microwave, no proper change mat or change groove in the bench. Lousy lousy lousy.
By the end of my investigative walk, I was not feeling too happy and reported back to the family my findings. No-one was impressed at all, especially on the part of not having proper nappy disposal bins. It’s a hospital!!! Of all places, surely a hospital would have the best hygiene systems. But it’s just not the case.
There’s a few babies due in the next few months, so when I go to visit the new arrivals at the different hospitals……..watch out because I’ll be checking out the Parent Rooms too. And they’d better be in a whole lot better shape than Blacktown Hospital!