ENT Department - Chesterfield Royal

In April 2026, we visited Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department, Chesterfield Royal Hospital to understand people’s experiences of using the service.

We wanted to learn:

• What people thought about the department and the care they receive
• How well it meets the needs of the local community
• How accessible and inclusive the environment is
• How easy it is for people to get information and use services
• What could be improved

Key findings:

Whilst feedback was mixed, there were key themes that came from people's responses:

• Some people found the ENT website difficult to navigate
• Some people said parking was difficult, including for Blue Badge holders
• Some people found it difficult to find the ENT department from the main entrance
• Some people felt the waiting area is too small when busy
• Some people said there were limited facilities for children in the waiting area
• Some people said the screen in the waiting area was not used as well as it could be
• Some people experienced delays in communication or received no communication from the medical secretarial team
• Some people experienced long waiting times and appointment delays.

What we suggested
We made recommendations to support ongoing improvement. These included:

• Better signage and clearer information to make it easier to find the ENT department from the main entrance
• Improved car parking
• Making people more aware of the resources, within the ENT department, for children would be helpful
• The waiting area could be better used to inform people about their appointment waiting time
• Consider how to keep people updated whilst they are waiting to be given an appointment
• Improvements that could be made to the website to make it easier to use

Thank you
Thank you to the team at ENT Department, Chesterfield Royal for welcoming us, and to everyone who shared their experience with us during the visit.

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