Unable to make an appointment in July, tried to rearrange but told I’d be put back on the waiting list! Anyone else experienced this?

[Doodlebug63]

After having to recently chase up an appointment I should have received in January, I was told a letter should have come out to me for the new year but somehow hadn’t. The lady said she would chase it up and come back to me.

That was 2 weeks ago and I heard nothing until this afternoon, when I received a letter for an appointment at the beginning of July. Immediately recognising it was a date I was unable to attend, as per their letter, I rang “to arrange a more convenient time”. Only to be told that if I couldn’t make it, which I can’t, it would have to be cancelled and I’d be put back on the waiting list!

Surely, this cannot be good practice? If I’m ringing on the same day I received the letter for an appointment which is 3 months away why can’t they book me in for a slightly later date?

My query is are all hospitals now doing this? Is this something they are allowed to do?

The appointment was to review my medications, which they changed in October 2022. I’m not concerned as I’ve just this afternoon visited the GP Asthma nurse and she has told me she is not changing anything and said my next GP review is in a year. However, this happened to my young grandson a couple of months ago so it seems to be the norm for this particular Hosptial Trust. I’m interested if all hospital are now taking this approach. If so they need to change the wording of their letters and this is something I am going to follow up with the Trust concerned.

Thank you!

[Bevvy]

I’ve never heard of such a thing and seems totally unreasonable. There could be numerous reasons why someone can’t attend an appointment that isn’t for months. Personally I would contact PALS at the hospital and ask them to look into it.

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Bevvy]

Thank you. I shall be contacting the Clinic direct on Monday morning (tried this afternoon but no reply) to see what they have to say. However, I shall definitely be pursuing this as I feel like I’ve been penalised just because I couldn’t attend on the date they gave. I could understand it more if I hadn’t turned up for the appointment or not given them sufficient notice but I did this within 15mins (after being in a phone queue for that long) of the letter arriving via a text message. 3 months notice that I can’t attend and I asked if the appointment could be pushed back a couple of weeks. The lady on the call said she would note what I had said (about already having waited since October 22 for an appointment to come through for the new year and that I’d chased this and was told I should have received a letter but it had t been sent) but nothing made any difference. It just seems ridiculous and totally wrong. The same thing happened to my 3 year old grandson’s appointment to see a specialist. They were booked for a half term holiday (parents teachers therefore holidays aren’t flexible) so couldn’t attend the date they’d been sent. Exactly the same reply, appointment cancelled and back on the waiting list. They waited a month to hear for the new appointment, which thankfully wasn’t too far in advance.

[Homely2 Administrator in reply to Bevvy]

Unusual approach, I normally find the hospital appointment people easy to talk to and reasonably flexible. If you do not need the appointment now, I would let it pass. It might be that your asthma deteriorates late summer, so a later appointment might work out very conveniently for you.

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Homely2]

Thank you. I was only diagnosed with late onset asthma in September last year with 2 hospital admissions within 6 weeks. I have had more exacabations since but managed at home with my rescue pack and GP advise. I agree I may need an appointment but I’m more upset about the fact that the hospital admitted I should have received a letter earlier but it hadn’t been sent and yet when I am unable to make the appointment they have sent for July I get told I have to go back on the waiting list. It seems very unfair particularly when the letter they sent today stated if I couldn’t make the appointment call them “to arrange a more convenient time”. I don’t see anything convenient about this system; what will happen if they send me another date I cannot attend? Back on the waiting list again?

[Oldandgray]

sadly I don’t actually believe I have even a GP service now. Being over 75 I would have an annual review but that stopped due to Covid and never restarted.

I hope you get your appointment sorted..

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Oldandgray]

That’s awful. Have they told you that you can’t have reviews anymore? If you feel you need one I’d definitely ask the GP. Take care.

[Troilus in reply to Oldandgray]

That’s shocking! Our GP continued to do them even through covid, but they were delayed. Might be an idea to get in touch with them and remind them.

[Balls01]

Hi, our local hospital do this if you cancel 2 appointments. But not the 1st one. I would chase it up as you say, as they'll just have people not turning up at all, which they don't want as it costs so much to them.

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Balls01]

Thank you. I could understand it more in those circumstances but not for the first appointment with no choice for an alternative date. I’m definitely following this up!

[fraid]

Hope you get it sorted but everything's in turmoil atm. I have been waiting for over 2 months now for a simple blood test, the district nurses here are usually very efficient but I think they're suffering knock- on effects from all the strikes though they are not on strike. Looks like it's only going to get worse I fear!😱

[Doodlebug63 in reply to fraid]

Sadly, I feel you are right about things getting worse. It’s very sad because those working for the NHS are working their socks off but it seems the systems in place need looking at for improvement.

[Itswonderful]

I think you are correct in saying that this is poor practice. The person you spoke to May have got muddled between someone who DNA appointments and someone like you who is trying to rearrange. I had something similar a few years ago. I was waiting for an operation and they phoned me and asked if I’d take a cancellation which was in a few days time. I said I couldn’t as I had to arrange work and home stuff and I was put on the bottom of the waiting list where I waited for a year. When I saw the consultant he apologised and said this should not have happened. Definitely speak to the clinic again and PALS so it’s bought to the attention of those concerned to help stop it happening again. I would not wait as someone else said, if you are newly diagnosed and the clinician has assessed that you need a FU within so much time, it’s for a reason.

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Itswonderful]

Thank you. I’m glad it’s not just me thinking it’s incorrect. I will definitely follow up and bear in mind what you have said but sadly as this has recently happened with my 3 year old grandson’s appointment too (parents teacher and has booked a half term holiday in Cornwall so couldn’t attend; told exactly the same as myself and had to wait another month for an new appointment and this was for an urgent referral 😥. Their holiday has been booked since last year before the little one had any problems.).

If this is their normal practice then I will be pursuing a complaint and taking it up with our local MP as the Trust involved has recently had poor reviews.

I realise everything has been stretched since Covid, staff shortages/illnesses and strikes but trying to change an appointment which isn’t for another 3 months (and they forgot to follow up) and being penalised (it feels) for not being available on the only date they give you seems very wrong.

Thank you for taking your time everyone in responding.

[Itswonderful in reply to Doodlebug63]

I really think it has a lot to do with which admin you speak to and how experienced they are so definitely chase it and if no luck go with your plan. It sounds very wrong to me for you and your grandchild

[Lilly_the_unicorn]

I work in the NHS and we book patients into the next available appointment, if the person cannot make this appointment we put them back on the waiting list . If you phone up quickly after the appointment is given to reschedule your appointment will be relatively quickly after your original appointment. However if you wait to reschedule the appointment then the next appointment would be much longer after the original appointment.

Our team tend to batch book a couple of weeks at a time when we release the next set of consultant lists after confirmation of the consultants leave so we reduce the need to cancel lists if consultants are on leave.

So hopefully your appointment should be relatively quickly after your original appointment.

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Lilly_the_unicorn]

Thank you. I hope so. I phoned immediately upon receiving a digital letter by text (apart from waiting in a queue it was immediately). The appointment was for the start of July to see the Asthma nurses in the Respiratory Clinic in the hospital, I was therefore shocked and surprised at the response particularly as the letter states if you can’t make the allocated appointment date call to arrange a more convenient time only to be told it’s not possible to change to a different date, just to cancel on go back on the list.

I shall ring the Clinic itself on Monday morning and see if this is an error on the part of the booking person I spoke to.

Thank you again for taking the time to respond.

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Lilly_the_unicorn]

I have been told today that this is correct. If you have to cancel they put you back on the waiting list. Apparently this is due to the back log.

I am going to pursue this further because the wording of the letter I received stating if you can’t make the appointment they have allocated to you to call ‘to arrange a more convenient time’ is totally incorrect. I am still annoyed that people have commitments that can’t be changed simply, they have holidays that have been booked and paid for, for months. It isn’t as simple as just accepting any date or being penalised if you can’t attend and you are informing them so, with 3 months notice!

I do hope your Trust doesn’t go along the same route.

[Chip_y2kuk]

That will be an NHS dodge for keeping you on the waiting list I'm sure ....

So at some point the NHS target was 6 weeks for most things and it was highlighted that *some trusts* had been fiddling this by having two lists a waiting to be on the waiting list and a waiting list.... they obviously where only reporting the waiting list

You've obviously been on their list for a long time and if they reschedule your appointment then you will still be on their waiting list so by cancelling you and adding you back on the list I'm sure the date will be more recently (the day you cancelled probably)

I can't say I've had this but I'm under Liverpool

[Doodlebug63 in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

My thoughts too!

I rang the Clinic today and they admitted this is normal practice, no error from the booking department. They release appointments 3 months ahead and if you can’t make the appointment you go back on this list and it maybe another 3 months before your next appointment is given. Apparently, this is because of the back log, which I think ties in with your reply, in my eyes.

They’ve offered me a telephone consultations, after informing them I had a GP Asthma nurse review last week anyway. This may also be 3-6 months waiting!

To be quite honest any problems now and I’ll just get in touch with the GP surgery as their Asthma nurse has told me any concerns or usage of the blue inhaler more than 2/3 times a week means my asthma is not being controlled and I need to get in touch with them. I’ll probably still have a wait but not 6 months! I’ve had 2 GPS recently tell me asthma patients know their condition better than anyone and so they are guided by me and never worry about getting in touch with them

I’m not convinced this is something the Trust involved should be doing, just playing with the waiting list times as you have said. Others take note!