Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital Brighton, Brighton and Hove

Reviews

1. Dabhi Seema ★☆☆☆☆

   Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to raise a formal and serious complaint regarding the extremely poor and unacceptable emergency care my baby received at your hospital. On the night of the incident, my baby developed a severe allergic reaction, including intense itching and visible discomfort. We contacted emergency services at around 12:00 midnight and were informed that we would receive a call back within an hour. However, no one contacted us for nearly two hours. My husband had to call again, and only then, at around 3:00 AM, was an ambulance sent to our home. We were advised by the doctor to bring our baby to the hospital immediately. We arrived at approximately 3:30 AM and completed registration. Despite staff being fully aware that this was an emergency involving a baby with severe itching and an allergic reaction, we were told to wait. No immediate treatment was given. No medicine or syrup was administered for nearly three hours, even though it was clear that the baby was in distress. During this time, my baby developed white bumps all over the body and was extremely uncomfortable and distressed. As parents, this was an incredibly traumatic experience. Eventually, after around 3 to 4 hours, my baby was given a syrup. If the staff already knew that this syrup was the required treatment, I fail to understand why it was not given immediately. Had timely treatment been provided, my baby would not have suffered unnecessarily for hours. What is even more concerning is that in such a large hospital, there appeared to be only one doctor attending to all patients. The doctor came to see us at approximately 7:10 AM, by which time my baby had fallen asleep due to exhaustion. We were simply told that everything was normal and were asked to go home. This is the second time we have experienced such negligence at your hospital. The first incident occurred when my baby was only 7 months old, and since my baby already has a history of allergies, our anxiety and concern were even greater this time. Despite this, no investigation, tests, or allergy reports were suggested, nor were we given any explanation regarding the cause of the reaction. I would like to ask a very serious question: If something severe had happened to my baby during those hours of waiting, who would have been responsible? We came to the Emergency Department because it is meant to provide urgent and immediate care. If patients are required to wait 6–7 hours without treatment, then what is the purpose of emergency services? During our time there, several nurses were seen sitting calmly inside while we repeatedly had to request someone to check on our baby. You may verify this through CCTV footage if required. This level of service is deeply disappointing, unacceptable, and unsafe, especially for infants. I request that this complaint be taken very seriously, investigated thoroughly, and that appropriate action be taken to ensure no other child or parent has to go through such a distressing experience. I expect a formal response and explanation regarding this matter.

   almost 6 months ago
2. Emma Windibank ★★★★★

   My son had to have a colonoscopy, endoscopy and dental work (after knocking out his adult tooth) the surgical team kindly let the dental team join the procedure. My son is autistic and non verbal and it’s very hard explaining things to him. But my god they were all incredible. Big shout out to Nicky on day surgery who looked after us so well and then Phoebe and of course Rowan on the children’s ward who did most of our care. Every single person we met, surgical team, anaesthetist all just so calm and patient. Not only did they look out for his interest and well being but also mine as a mum. Thank you to everyone :) Emma, Kyle and Fin

   almost 8 months ago
3. Nik Church ★★★★★

   What an amazing facility. My daughter had a sports injury involving a possible fracture. Thankfully one of her teachers recommended we come here. We were in and out in 1hr 20 mins including Triage, initial consultation, x-rays, results analysis and diagnosis and treatment - AMAZING!!! Thank you so much to the whole team!!!

   almost 9 months ago

1. Isabel Figueira ★★★★★

   The best, fast and effective care our little boy received. Nurse Jess and Doctor Jo were very caring, professional and friendly. A big thank you to them and the a&e at the royal Alexandra hospital for making us feel safe as parents by knowing our boy received the best care possible.

   almost 10 months ago
2. Joanna Kilner ★★★★★

   Katy the play therapist is an absolutely integral part of the team. She goes above an beyond for her job role, and I know that without her input with my daughter today that the surgery would not of gone ahead. Absolutely amazing staff, and I cant thank everyone enough for all of the help and support for my daughter. They are all superstars!

   almost 11 months ago
3. Toby Nicholson ★★★★★

   A trip to the hospital with my daughter was made to feel more like a vacation thanks to the incredible Doctors and Nurses who spent so much time playing games with her and giving her cuddles (and a teddy bear) when she needed comforting. Let's pay these people what they deserve.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Melissa Bendall ★★★★★

   We were in for an emergency appendectomy and we were dealt with very quickly once they confirmed appendicitis although quite a wait to get an ultrasound to confirm it. Mostly the doctors and nurses were amazing. There are definitely some that are useless - unhelpful, difficult to understand, not very good with children, dismissive. But the excellent ones balance that all out. We had one absolutely excellent registrar who was so good with my son as well as me, we saw him every day and he made it clear he really cared for my son. He was hands down the best doctor I've ever had to deal with for myself or any of my kids. A couple of the night nurses were amazing too, so kind and caring and exactly how I pictured a perfect nurse to be. The only real negatives were the kitchen was disgusting, so dirty and smelled like off meat. There is no parents food especially on a Saturday/Sunday (and actually most other) night when all the cafes and shops shut at 4. I was left eating from vending machines. The parking is awful, you have to get dropped at children's a&e. And the different opinions of nurses on pain relief is really annoying. But a 5 star review because it's an excellent facility to have and I'm very glad we do. All 3 of mine have had emergency stays at the Alex and all could have had much worse outcomes without the excellent care they received. I'm not a fan of the NHS but I cannot fault the Alex.

   almost 3 years ago
2. Elena Toaca ★★★★★

   Hello. My son Daniel was operated on in this hospital. My whole family was very grateful for the help, respect, and awe of caring for my son. This is the first time I see such responsible doctors and nurses. Very often they approached a sick patient and provided all the necessary assistance from the very beginning, to the end. Thank you all. We were very grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you low bow to everyone !!!

   almost 3 years ago
3. Vanya Dimitrova ★★★★★

   My son was admitted at only 3 weeks old and had to remain at the hospital for a total of one month. I was able to stay with him throughout and we were given an ensuite room on the ward. The hospital is bright and clean, with new and modern facilities. The staff is very friendly and helped with everything we needed. Because I was breastfeeding I was also served meals which was really helpful as sorting out food would have been the last thing on my mind at the time. The staff was lovely and incredibly supportive during this very difficult time. We are so grateful to the nurses Sian, Trish, Harry, Ruth, Rebecca, Lucy, Alex, Zoe, as well as the wonderful Dr Irantha. On a few occasions we were given conflicting information by the different doctors which was a bit confusing, however this was because our case was constantly being reviewed by a team of specialists. So we felt we were in good hands despite the occasional miscommunication. Our boy has now made a full recovery but is still being monitored by our consultant. We feel very fortunate to have a children's hospital in Brighton.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Jessica Hasan ★★★★★

   On Monday my son was booked in for an orchidopexy surgery and we were so impressed. It was a far better experience than we expected. Our nurse Jo on level 7 was exceptional with my son, engaged with him so well, listened to him, understood him and made both of us feel so relaxed and at ease. Thank you for making an anxious time anxiety free!

   almost 4 years ago

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