Princess Alexandra Hospital - Harlow

Artemios T.

Despite waiting for over three hours, I was ultimately seen by an apprentice doctor who appeared inexperienced and uncertain in their approach. This not only raised concerns about the quality of care provided but also made the prolonged waiting time feel even more frustrating.
As a taxpayer and contributor to the NHS, I find it unacceptable that patients are subjected to such delays and inadequate service. The NHS is a vital institution, but experiences like this undermine public trust and raise serious concerns about patient care standards.
I request a formal response outlining the reasons for these excessive waiting times and what measures are being taken to improve service quality. I also expect assurances that future patients will receive timely and competent care.

James A.

Recently visited A&E and the urgent care ward with my pregnant wife. Like many hospitals, they faced capacity challenges, but the staff handled it exceptionally well. Despite the pressures, we felt truly cared for and supported throughout our visit. We deeply appreciate the dedication of the team who assisted us today/last night and admire their resilience in the face of such adversity. Their professionalism and compassion made all the difference.

Anastasia

eh, I mean it's alright. I went to the adult A&E department since I was 16 with my dad. The receptionist at the desk said that under 18s had to be accompanied so that was fine. Because of this rule I had to be with my dad throughout my entire stay. Within seconds of booking in my name was called and the nurse (could've been a nurse, im not sure) took my pulse and my blood pressure. They also put my bracelet on. I presume they put bracelets on you for the tests that they do later on. The bracelet consists of your name, your date of birth, your address and your sex. Then, I waited around 30 minutes to an hour to be triaged by a nurse. I explained to them the situation and they said that I had to do a blood test. I then waited another 30 minutes to an hour to do a blood test. Then the lady who was doing my blood test said to go to another waiting room. However, the nurse told me to wait here. Then I waited three hours to be seen by a doctor. In total it took us around five hours to be seen by a doctor which isn't a good sign. Usually in Lister Hospital it only took us 1-2 hours to be seen in A&E but back then I was 15 so I was seen in the children's emergency department. That therefore could've been in different circumstances because I was classed as a paediatric patient. I told the doctor what was going on in the assessment room, was sent to the waiting room again to be assigned a bed and was assigned one within 5-10 minutes which is good. Then I barely got any sleep at night because of the sheer noise in A&E. I heard an old lady complaining that she wanted to go home multiple times which kind of scared me because it was my first time in adult A&E and it is unpredictable. In the middle of the night at around 2:30am the CAMHS crisis team came to my room for an assessment and I told them that I was feeling suicidal and that I was hearing voices. Since I was still classed as a child even though I was in adult A&E they said that the Essex crisis team had to have a meeting with my mental health team aka CAMHS since I was out of their region (for context I live in Hertfordshire) to decide what they were going to do next. Then at 3am I was feeling hungry so I asked them for some food and they gave me the basics; sandwiches, a pot of yoghurt and jelly, a pastry and a cup of orange juice. The pot of jelly was already opened so that's lost them a star because that pot could've had anything in it due to the bacteria and things like that. As a result of this my dad had to put it in the bin along with the rubbish. Then at around 8am and 12pm I was given breakfast and lunch respectively which was a bowl of cornflakes and a sandwich. It's basic but it's free I guess. At 2pm the CAMHS crisis team came into my room and said that they weren't going to put me in inpatient psychiatric care because that isn't in the best interests of the child (aka me) which sucks because I literally took an overdose which counts as a suicide attempt since I took the multivitamin gummies purposefully in large amounts. The blood test results came back normally though so there was nothing wrong with me physically. They also said that they were going to refer me to the Home Treatment Team and my psychiatrist was going to give me fluoxetine the following Monday. Then they discharged me. In conclusion I give my review three stars because although the nurses I met were respectful and kind the waiting times were too long.

Princess O.

I recently gave birth in Princess Alexandra and I’m giving all the maternity team 10/10, they were so caring and supportive. Very empathetic and kind. They gave me a VIP treatment, I must say. I felt especially good with the treatment of one of the doctors “Ciaran Villa”, he went above and beyond to make sure I was okay during labour and even afterwards. I sincerely appreciate you all.

George C.

Woeful service in this hospital.

My sister is currently in this hospital with some issues, she has been in there since Monday, and it still has not been diagnosed. She is incredibly nervous about the service she has been getting, the mixed messaging from the nurses and doctors has been incredibly unprofessional.

All I ask for in a hospital in this current climate is honesty, up to date information from the nurses, and good communication, absolutely none of that has been on show.

If you can help it do not send your female loved ones to this hospital, disgraceful service so far and no sign of it getting any better

notimeformorons ?.

Abomination is the best word I can think of, from calling you by your ailment instead of your name to not knowing what they are doing and being down right rude about it, communication is almost none existent leaving it all up to you the patient to chase after them for results. I have no doubt there are people who work there who are very good but they are few and far between unfortunately. Myself my partner our daughter our granddaughter and my father all at separate times have had need to visit for treatment and every time it's been the same. We avoid the place now like the plague and if we do find a need to visit hospital we all refuse to go there and travel further afield to Epping hospital.

M. S.

Terrible, unacceptable A&E service tonight with people waiting for longer than 12 hours in some cases. No doctors to be seen. Sick people left waiting. I’ll be making a complaint to the CQC regarding the treatment of my sick mother tonight. Please don’t go here if you’re unwell. They used to be good, but now they’re worse than some of the notorious North London hospitals. I’m absolutely speechless at this point. This shouldn’t be happening in 2025 Britain is all I can say. Also, it’s very concerning that they’ve been triaging everyone at the main A&E area and then sending everyone to the old urgent treatment care area to see a doctor. This makes it look like A&E is not crowded, whereas it’s just because everyone is waiting in a different area. They’ve closed down the urgent treatment centre and are simply sending all patients there to wait to speak to a doctor after being triaged. Over 100 people were there last night, most waiting over 10-12 hours!

Janet D.

Great care for my mom on entering A&E.
Sedated mom who became a street fighter, so needed a few to help.
We're pleasant. Although only one who spoke with us for 6 hours was a busy itu Consultant. 6 hours after coming through doors. Next day uou got that vacant invisible face. Oh no do not ask me anything. The contact everywhere but to your eyes. Asked her what sort of night mom had. Not been here. That's poor sarcastic answer. Extremely Busy department so personal hygiene took ages. Next it was to get mom home. She started her tirade at me, yelling, screaming etc. A trolley left outside cubical had no breaks on. I only just caught mom. Went to nurse told her. That I had to go. Mom Refused to go with ambulance crew. Sent to Opal unit.
Now we begin groundhog day over again.
Overall great care in an environment that people are Extremrly unwell.