Overview

Opening first as a dispensary in 1786, this building has a bit of a past. In the early 80s, plans were made to establish a hospital to serve Paisley on the site with the facility being opened by Princess Alexandra in 1988, for whom the hospital is named. I’ve been to the hospital for a few mishaps, and outpatient appointments in my time. Appointed on a hill, it’s not the best-placed hospital for a manual wheelchair user to get to.

Transport & Parking

The hospital is busy, which means getting parking can be difficult. ` There are 29 accessible bays in the main car park, six at the main outpatient building (three of which were blocked by temporary barriers, and two accessible bays at the maternity building. There’s a total of 584 spaces, which includes those already mentioned. Several McGill’s buses drop off and pick up at the hospital. The services as of this review are 10, 17, 20, 20A and 340. Many of these buses are accessible, but please check ahead of your journey. Additional parking is available at the bottom of Corsebar Road but they are all standard spaces. The hill from the main road is rather severe so it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Access

There is step-free access to all areas of the hospital, though the incline from the car park is steep. The entry doors to Outpatients and Accident and Emergency are automatic The lifts are built to accommodate patient beds being moved to the different areas of the hospital, so they’re spacious. Most of the signage is great, but I struggled to find the accessible toilet and had to ask a staff member for directions. Lino flooring covers the majority of the RAH making it easy to glide across in a manual wheelchair, though there are slopes to certain parts of the hospital. There is an induction loop at the front desk and in the reception areas of the hospital. There are plenty of places to rest, should you need it.

Toilets

The first accessible toilet is a fair trek from the entrance, on your right and along the corridor to Waiting Area 2. The door opens inward and doesn’t need a key, it’s locked from inside by raising the handle. There are three emergency red cords, one on either side of the toilet seat, and one by the low sink. Grab rails are placed on either side of the toilet, and the sink. The paper towel dispenser, soap dispenser and hand dryer are mounted on the wall and can be reached from sitting height. The toilet has a baby change table, waste and sanitary waste bins and a privacy curtain. The room is spacious, with plenty of room for anyone you may need to accompany you to use the toilet. Keeping the toilet clean is a clear priority. The flush is on the cistern to the rear.

Staff

The reception staff were helpful, giving me directions and offering to take me to the toilet when I asked. The consultants I’ve seen on previous visits are always professional and pleasant to speak with.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

This isn’t something that can be changed, but I need to reiterate that the hospital is located uphill on a severe slope. If you have an appointment, I’d suggest arriving in plenty of time as the car park is busy, with some people parking outside the spaces in a rush to get to their appointments. Less manually opened doors would be of great benefit. I’d certainly visit the RAH again but I hope I don’t need to!

Photos