Spire Leicester Hospital

At the outset, let me state that my low rating relates solely to the telephone service provided. Medical care has been excellent and administrative staff polite, friendly and helpful. However, making telephone contact with the hospital is utterly unsatisfactory. First, a caller is guided through a seemingly endless call- steering system, at the end of which is a very lengthy wait to speak to a human being, whilst being repeatedly informed that lines are extremely busy and messages can be left. In recent days, I have called the hospital during mornings and late afternoons only to suffer the same negative experience. Reliance on such an unsatisfactory call answering service suggests Reception procedures are either inefficient or under resourced. I have much higher expectations of service provision from a private health care provider than is the case with this hospital.

Absolutely appalling experience with Spire Leicester’s admin team. Useless, unhelpful, and utterly chaotic. I rang today with what should have been a straightforward question: which orthopaedic surgeon specialising in elbow reconstruction/implant currently has the shortest operating list, so we could urgently book my husband in for surgery. Instead, I was passed from pillar to post — spoke to 5 different people, each time having to repeat the whole story. First sent to theatres (who obviously couldn’t answer), then to nurses (apparently by mistake), then another department, then the East Midlands hub who had no idea why I’d even been transferred to them. To top it off, I ended up being put through to Spire Washington! At that point I gave up and hung up, completely exhausted. On top of that, one of the people I spoke to — medical secretary Rachel — was not only unhelpful but actively unpleasant and rude. At a time when compassion and professionalism should be the bare minimum, her attitude was dismissive and made a stressful situation far worse. Hours wasted, no answers, and an incredibly stressful experience when we’re already going through enough. The admin team are disorganised, clueless, and clearly just want to fob you off to whichever department will get you off their hands quickest. Absolutely disgusting service. They call this private healthcare?!

Excellent hospital. Ward 2 staff were professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Communication was brilliant at all times. Stayed for 2 days and couldn't fault it.