Craigavon Area Hospital

The hospital is a district general hospital with top notch care. I can vouch for the pediatric side of the hospital. The nursing staff is probably the best that you would find in the country. The doctors are an extremely dedicated team genuinely interested in the well being of the little ones. The facilities are at par with the best that can be expected from a hospital of this size. Great centre for the children with diabetes as well. Some seriously good work is being done here in all departments including cancer diagnosis, cytopathology, obstetrics medicine and mental health. Yes the A and E is overflowing but the team does their best to give relief to all attendees.

I think this is the most depressing hospital in the country, and if not, the whole world! I was here on February and was in real pain. I was sitting for 6 hours before being called into a room where I was for the next 4 hours and keep in mind, I was in real bad pain. The hospital is very slow, which you would expect, but It is just such a depressing environment, no fun, no happiness, literally nothing to do with being happy. There is some nice staff which is the only reason I'm giving one star. I was also here back in 2019 because of a chest infection, and I arrived at 1pm, and was back at home at 2am. Really slow and depressing hospital.

The only thing I could describe A&E as would be a zoo. Left an elderly man for 10 hours after demanding he attend A&E for a crucial IV that absolutely could not wait til morning, but could wait 10 hours? While in A&E, we had a lady off her head on God knows what come into his room shouting and banging on the door and table, frightening the life out of him and no staff intervened. We then learned she'd been in all night too and psychiatry were only appearing after lunch time. Also an entire family in the next cubicle being extremely noisy and disruptive and nothing done. Loads of staff just stood chatting with 2 filled waiting rooms. The lack of empathy or even interest was astounding, patients being ignored and rubbish communication from senior staff, the place is a nightmare.

Mother in her late 80's had a fall in  November 2022 and fractured her hip. She made a slow recovery in hospital.  But just before Christmas beds were needed at Craigavon Hospital and there was excessive pressure on us to take her home. But I'd had a massive stroke earlier in the year and we couldn't provide the care she would need.We contacted the Craigavon Hospital Social Workers  and they worked hard to get Mum in a nursing home at the most difficult time in the year - the week before Christmas . The hard work and commitment of the Social Workers at Craigavon Hospital bore fruit and Mum was placed in an excellent nursing home two days before Christmas!

Waiting hours at the Emergency department last 2 times were 17 and 17.5 hours and all the time 3 ambulance vans was parked at the front with sleeping personal inside. No more than 10-15 people went inside for 17 hours-no words and I can bet they have received Paracetamol if the pain was on the upper part and Ibuprofen if it was on to lower half of the body. The joke was when 2 of them parked on the gate and all of the burned oil smoke was getting inside the waiting room for few hours. That was a try to push people to the main entrance's waiting room as from the reception refused to close the door and the window. Now we are waiting for ambulance over 7 hours(edit: they rang back after 10 and half hours asking for the third time if the ambulance if still require, but we already went to Cavan's hospital) . The urology department rearranged an kidney stone treatment twice just because as they said that the machine is broken/the first time/,but wasn't and the second time was high temperature/ all lies as was made another few minutes later at the emergency services showing under 37/ . Lazy very lazy people there whose wages need to be cutted off. Shame for the 21st century to wear a doctor's uniforms. And some of the pro workers as bottom ones are giving 5 stars because of the town, but crying about the waiting hours in some of the telecom shops /shame shame shame/

After being an inpatient of the hospital recently for 5 days I cant praise the staff of 2 South stroke ward and recuss for their superb care and friendship during a hard time for me .The hospital is ultra clean and tidy doctor McKee was a gentleman also

✨REMINDER✨*HOSPITALS ARE FOR EMERGENCIES. YOUR SINUS INFECTION IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. GO TO OUT OF HOURS!*Despite our NHS struggling these last few years, I received amazing care recently. Due to surgery complications in Dublin, I had to be admitted with a collapsed lung. The staff had me x-rayed and drain put in within a matter of hours, and would have been faster if not for awaiting a second opinion from the Royal. I had to stay a week and during my time here I've received the best care, hospitality and reassurance from staff. Our healthcare really is the most precious thing our country has, I was treated better here than a private hospital across the border!Thank you CraigavonUpdated (7/12/23):Just gave birth to my twins here, and again, the level of care from staff has been phenomenal. I was treated with such compassion and gentleness during my week here, as well as my babies. They were impeccable and I honestly couldn't have asked for better care, even during the scariest moments of my entire life I felt nothing but reassurance. Thank you so much.

My Dad was in this hospital with a broken ankle for over 2 weeks . Operation kept getting put off because of emergencies coming in (which is completely understandable and not the issue) .But the day after the operation was put in the discharge lounge " without telling his family . so he was left sitting there in his pyjamas and dressing gown along with his bag until we came up for normal visiting hours 3 hours later . We had been advised it would be about 2-3 days after the operation before he would be able to come home .If they just called to tell us he was discharged we have been there straight away . Feel sick to the stomach this can happen in this day and age. One phone call was all that was needed.He had really good care while there.But admin is definitely something thatneeds to be looked into ."

I have been working here as a locum doctor for almost 3years. The town is lovely and the staff are friendly. Of course it's not immune to the pressures affecting NHS but the administrators are trying their best. I know this for sure.