Access in Summary
Transport
There are bus stops located on Marlowes which are situated at the bottom of Hillfield Road. There are 3 bus stops on this street, all of which have shelters and seating provided. Buses stopping at bus stop 13 are; 1, T2, 300, 301, 500, H19, H20, 550, H10 and H11. Buses stopping at bus stop 14 are; 2, 3, 4, 5, 320, H10, H11 and X31. Buses stopping at bus stop 15 are; 30, 31, 352, PB1, 52, 62, 51, 502, 532, T2 and T5. The route to the numerous Hospital Entrances from these bus stops is a fair distance and involves a steep incline up Hillfield Road.
Car Park and Drop Off
There are car parking facilities available at each of the entrances to the Hospital. All car parks have accessible parking bays that are located within a short distance of the entrances. Parking is free for blue badge holders.
Access at Entrance
The Main Entrance has double doors that open inwards and access through the Entrance is level. There is only stepped access up to this Entrance but there is a handrail on both sides of the stairs to support visitors when approaching. There is a good level of signage displayed at the bottom of the stairs so visitors know where to go on arrival.
The Entrance to the X-Ray Reception has double automatic doors that open inwards. The entry doors have a good colour contrast with the surrounding walls and there is also level access through the doors. The entry doors are wide enough to allow a wheelchair user to pass through the entrance with ease, however there is a steep ramp from the path down to the entrance.
The Marnham Wing Entrance is situated on a fairly steep slope, there is a level area outside the Entrance which gives wheelchair users easy access to the entry doors. The Entrance has double automatic doors that open inwards, they have a good colour contrast with the surrounding walls and there is also level access through the doors. The entry doors are wide enough to allow a wheelchair user to pass through with ease and there is good signage displayed to help visitors find their way to the Entrance.
Reception
The Main Reception for the Hospital is located on Level 3 of the Verulam Wing. The reception is only staffed with volunteer staff so there may be times where the Reception is unmanned. When there are volunteer staff available, they are only able to give directions to departments within the hospital. There is a lowered section of the reception desk available for wheelchair users to use and to be able to communicate with staff more easily. All of the main departments in the hospital have reception desks and there is good directional signage to aid visitors in finding their way round the hospital independently if necessary.
Facilities
There is a Restaurant available within the Verulam Wing on Level 2 called Delimarché. There is plenty of seating within the restaurant as well as toilet facilities. The restaurant serves hot and cold food and drinks and is a self service style restaurant. There is also a WRVS counter which is located in the outpatient’s reception area and there are also plenty of toilets available for use within the Hospital.
Access to All Areas
Both wings of the hospital have numerous floors and access can be gained to all floors and all wings by lifts and stairs. Visitors can gain access from the Verulam Wing to the main wing via an overhead link bridge which goes from Level 2 on the Verulam Wing to Level 5 on the main wing.