Sonia Purnell’s

PERSPECTIVES

‘The obsessive short-termism and insularity of our political class, who foolishly no longer see historical context as instructive’

Healthy Progress

Recent visits to Charing Cross Hospital in west London have confirmed impressions of a tired, rather gloomy, building that although little more than 50 years old is in urgent need of radical treatment. And yet, this tatty great 1970s monolith on Fulham Palace Road – plus other visits to its sprawling sister hospital, St Mary’s in Paddington – still offered something startlingly new and dynamic. In one respect, at least.

Every single appointment while I was there – whether for a consultation, scan, or blood test – was either exactly on its allotted time or several minutes ahead of schedule. The efficiency at which patients were seen and dealt with was, quite frankly, wondrous.

Go in good time to the phlebotomy department for your 2.50pm blood test – in a vast room lined with cubicles in full operation by specialists from across the globe – and they are more than likely able to see you at 2.45pm. The woman who took my blood was friendly and so efficient I did not immediately realise that she had finished. By the actual time of my appointment, I was back out on the street.

By the way, it is best also to report for a scan at least 15 minutes early as, more likely than not, they will usher you straight in allowing you an earlier departure for the rest of your day. Some appointments were even offered on Saturdays, reducing the need to miss work and increasing the chances that partners or friends can come along too.

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