Internet guided tour reassures Portsmouth patients before treatment

Company news

Oct 17, 2014

Putting patients at their ease before they have even arrived for their operation is one of the aims of the new Google Business View virtual tour of St Mary’s NHS Treatment Centre, which will enable them to look round the centre from the comfort of their own homes.

The tour takes patients through the reception area and around the various facilities, so that they can not only take a look at the layout and parking but also see where they would be treated and spend time recovering. For people who travel some distance to be treated at the centre, it will offer the chance to get to know it without making extra journeys.

The new service showcases the facilities available to NHS patients at the Care UK treatment centre in Milton Road, which treats around 8,500 people every month across a range of specialties. As well as day surgery, the centre offers a wide range of screening and diagnostic services, including diabetic retinopathy, x-ray, echocardiography and ultrasound.

Hospital director Penny Daniels believes the virtual tour will remove some of the trepidation people experience when attending hospital appointments for the first time. She said: “Going for any form of surgery or diagnostic test can cause a degree of trepidation among even the most experienced patients. The team here are excellent at putting people at their ease – we hope that by showing people the facilities before they arrive they will feel even more at ease.

“We also have a walk-in minor injuries and illnesses unit at the centre, offering advice and treatment for which no appointment is necessary. High quality care is available for minor injuries and illnesses including cuts and grazes, burns, strains, sprains, bites, minor infections, eye conditions, stomach pains and suspected fractures.

“With this tour, people can see the reception area they will arrive at before they are assessed and I think this tour is particularly helpful for people escorting loved ones, so they can see where to take them before leaving home.”

Mr Jon Cole, a founder member of the centre’s patient forum, said: “I have toured the centre with the virtual tour and it is very good – I am sure it will reassure those people having a procedure.

“The centre does a great job taking some of the strain off Queen Alexandra Hospital’s A&E through its minor injuries and illnesses unit and I think this tour is an excellent facility for those thinking of using the service.”

The tour is accessible on the treatment centre website and on Google maps.