Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Brilliant service , very helpful and friendly staff , willing to help patients . Hospital is impeccably clean and very well laid out .

As a person who comes from a place that has no local hospitals (the nearest is an hour away, and that's a country hospital, so it's pretty small), the HUGENESS of the place baffled me at first.
The inpatient food isn't bad, especially the puddings, but they only have a two week menu. I'd recommend a jacket potato, and avoid the sandwiches. (sounds silly but when you spend a lot of time In hospital you need to know these things.)

Everybody here is supportive and will try their best to keep you in the know about what and why is happening. I have never sat there with an alarm bleeping for more than five mins. This is a fantastic achievement by the busy staff who will do everything to keep you comfortable.
I would recommend this place to anyone who doesn't like hospitals, this place knows you don't want to be there, and ensures that your visit will be as short as possible without you having to come back too soon.

The first thing to note about this hospital is that it is huge. If you go through the main entrance, it's like an airport or train station. There's loads of glass and space, it's very bright. There's a Costa Coffee, a WH Smiths and a cafe right by the doors as well as a handy information desk. Outside is also a fruit and veg stall that's great value for money.

The hospital is well sign posted, so you can easily find what department you're looking for. Outpatients has colour coded chairs in the waiting areas so you know where to sit. There are also staff that are very friendly and willing to help you if you need it.

The hospital is well served by public transport, with buses to Halesowen, Solihull, Birmingham and West Brom as well as being a couple of minutes walk from University station on the cross city line. There is a car park but it's very expensive. There are disabled spaces by the main entrance but there aren't many of them and the road can get very busy with cars and buses.

A couple of years ago I broke my ankle (the "most spectacular broken ankle" according to the doctor in A&E) and was taken here. I was seen quickly by the doctors in A&E and x-rays were done fast as was the setting off the bones and the plaster cast. It took about two hours all together (I think, I was still very drunk at the time). I had to spend a week in hospital before surgery. The wards were clean and the nurses were friendly. The surgeon who fixed my ankle explained the procedure and was very helpful.

Now there were some issues with my stay. Firstly, the food is awful. I found myself getting my husband to take me down to Costa to buy panini's in the evening. Secondly, I found the doctors who looked at my ankle talked over me. They would come in, have a poke around and then leave without saying a word to me. Thirdly, the date of my surgery kept changing, which is very frustrating when you just want to go home. Fourthly, I was given crutches but not shown how to use them so the first time I tried to take myself to the bathroom I lost my balance and tried to steady myself with my broken ankle.

I've been back regularly since being discharged as an outpatient and for physiotherapy. I've been well looked after and received great care from the staff that I've seen.

The New Queen Elizabeth hospital is an impressive sight on the cities skyline.
Unmissable as a landmark and equal to anything else in Birmingham.
Hospital visits aren't always pleasant affairs and often I dread the thought expecting to find some run down and grotty place, perhaps after watching too many NHS exposure programmes but rest assured...
The New Elizabeth is as striking inside as it as out and the lobby is like walking into an airport lobby with a incredibly high ceiling and light space.
Food has been contracted out to large chains so you can treat your loved ones to some choice grub saving them from the gruel served up by the NHS and there's a Smiths as well so there's always a paper or magazine too.
One thing you do notice is that there are a lot of Military personnel about and this is because the hospital became a place for serving personnel recently.
Once in the lift, you began to realise just how big the place is adn on the higher floors the views are pretty impressive.
Hospitals are places we try to avoid but if you are in for a stay The New Queen Elizabeth is clean modern and also a short trot to University train station, so there's no excuse for visitors!