Thank you for sharing your experience and views
Below you can read more about what you told us helped improve the services provided at Bowling Mill.
About the work
We are committed to working together with people to make sure we develop and improve services which meet the needs of our communities. It means we can improve experiences and health outcomes.
In 2025, we changed the location where some community services are provided. These included some community physiotherapy; amputee; podiatry; bladder and bowel and lymphoedema services in addition to some district nursing bases.
This work is part of our Foundations for our Future programme, which is our long term plan to transform our hospital and community services in Calderdale and Huddersfield.
As part of our planning to move location, we wanted to hear from people using these services, to understand what worked well and areas we could improve on. This involved online questionnaires and in person conversations with patients, carers and colleagues in a number of clinic and community settings. We also had input from a group of Experts by Experience (volunteers who amplify the voice of patients and carers) to review the new location at Bowling Mill, Dean Clough, Halifax.
Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and views. It has helped us make sure that our move to Dean Clough is informed by what is important to our patients, carers and colleagues.
What we heard and what we did
What we heard | What we did
|
Healthcare Teams: provide a high level of compassionate care. Many patients know their teams well and are keen to continue being cared for by the same teams | The same teams and committed colleagues will continue to provide the care and services |
Communication: Most patients were confident that they are kept informed of changes to appointments and had no concerns that their care team would communicate any changes in good time | All teams have reviewed their arrangements for communicating with both patients and people who refer patients into the services. This has made sure that the correct information for making referrals or contacting patients or the team is in place |
Transport: The links between the train station and bus station do not work well for patients trying to get to Bowling Mill due to the distance, bus route and required walking time | Information including maps and signposting people to bus routes and hospital transport arrangements are now shared with appointment information |
Signposting: Maps identifying entrances, parking and the health setting are required as many people are not familiar with Bowling Mill and are nervous that there will be less people around to ask in comparison to the hospital | Signage has been put in place to work alongside the maps in supporting people to reach Bowling Mill. Staff members will remain on site during the clinic opening times to ensure that there are people to guide and ask The reception area is signposted and welcoming. The speak easy area has been positioned to make sure it is at a height wheelchair users can use |
Difficult to reach: Some people shared that travelling to Bowling Mill would be too difficult for them to comfortably undertake
| All of the service teams have in place a system where they can hold individual conversations to understand the different needs people have and make alternative arrangements for accessibility needs. This will help the Trust to make sure that all individuals can access the health care and support they require |
Accessibility: Disabled parking, no ramps or steps and facilities which can accommodate wheelchairs is essential
| There are 5 disabled parking spaces at Bowling Mill, and further parking available. The disabled spaces are clearly signposted and free to use for blue badge holders. There are no ramps or steps to access the building and there are a number of dropped kerbs available. The disabled facilities have been improved by removing unnecessary items and signage added to advise that the door can be opened outwards to improve access |
Chairs: A variety of chairs is required, including some with arms and with padding to enable people to wait comfortably and be able to support their own independence | A variety of chairs are available to offer people choice and comfort within the waiting area |
Nice to have: Somewhere to obtain refreshments (particularly for those waiting for hospital transport), and the opportunity to sit outside. Privacy and dignity to be maintained and clinic rooms which are spacious to enable all care activities to be undertaken comfortably | Privacy and dignity has been maintained whilst allowing lots of natural light with the use of films across the windows. The clinic spaces are bright and open, and have the necessary room to hold the equipment required to meet the needs of individuals. There is a water cooler available – teams are mindful that some people may need support to access the water cooler and will monitor the placement of this. There is an outside seating area available to use now in place There is also provision for refreshments from a local business next to Bowling Mill |