I received an email from Patients Know Best and it went on to talk about. Who they were etc. it also mentioned I was put forward by my Gp. There was a link for me to click on, I am very weary of clicking on strange links but I did. It told me to log in through them or through the NHS. I came out of it and went into my NHS app and found it there. When I clicked on the link I discovered I’ve got an hospital appointment booked, it tells me the date, time, floor, department number and who I’m going to see.
Im still waiting for a letter or on the day I will have to panic hoping I will find it.
The person I’m going to see was the person who first diagnosed my electric problems in 2003. My device check on Tuesday showed I was getting a lot of non sustained ventricular tachycardias. Because the appointment isn’t until November I’m thinking it can’t be that bad. But I’m still worried. I hope I’m not breaking any rules.
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Deejay62
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Thats a good new service. Should save a lot of waste admin etc. I didn't receive my paper copy until after the appointment, but mine was sooner than yours. I don't know why they bothered to send it, but I guess not everyone is tech savvy 🥴
So you could of missed that appointment. I missed one because I never received it. Maybe the Gp is informing them of people who are using tech. I find it easier communicating with my Gp, they ask me to send them my INR results for warfarin and to book appointments via a link they send me. It might be challenging for some people like you said. I have to admit I still like my paper records. But for them it’s a savings.
Thank you for replying.
hi I have had appointment and result letters through patient knows best from hospital. The appointment letter came after the appointment but the result letter arrived online a week before paper copy.
If you can access on phone take a screen shot of the appointment details, you may find it easier to find photo than log on. Or if you have access to a printer?
If the letter arrives a great otherwise you’ll have a backup plan on your phone.
My memory as become very poor. I just remembered I took a screenshot and sent it to my daughter, so I’ve actually got it saved in my pictures now, and so as she😀She probably would of reminded me on the day.
Hi Blue 1958. I’ve only just learnt about it. You do have to download the NHS app. I only looked at the appointments side of it. It did say to me if I had any questions for my appointment I can ask them on there and it would be discussed when I have my appointment. Maybe others know more. It seems like it’s not new to some on here.
That’s good. Maybe different places have different apps. I have patient access where I order my meds and view my results etc. so I feel I’m being bombarded with another one. I’m just going to use it for hospital appointments.
Glad you have got an appointment. Do try not to worry too much between now & then. I know that's hard to do!
I was asked to sign for a similar app by the hospital who said they are going paperless, but my last two appointments have arrived by letter & not via message from the app. Crazy world!
It is so difficult to remember appointments isn't it, and especially if there's anything we should do beforehand (like stop taking a med) or shouldn't do beforehand. ..... you ought to have seen my kitchen the day before my Cardiac Perfusion Scan .... "no caffine - coffee, tea, chocolate or fizzy from 10am today for 24hours" notices on the fridge, every food & drinks cupboard door, the kettle and the coffee machine!
😂😂I’m like that too always thinking, just in case I forget and accidentally do something I shouldn’t have done and wreck everything with my forgetful brain😂I’m glad I’m not the only one. Talking really helps take my mind off things and I’m sure it’s the same for everyone on here.
I've had the patient knows best app for a couple of years and think it's gradually getting better. Although I still think very dependant on the health care employee actually sending the data to the system. Some of my data seems to go on there and others do not. I also have had appointments added to the system but haven't received in the post
If they add the appointment to the system I get an email saying new appointment added. My discharge letter from A&E was also uploaded and an email come through saying new document added.
The appointment are attachments so they are they actual letter you download the PDF and has your address etc on it.
The one appointment that didn't get added to mine I did actually get a hard copy letter.
I was rushed into hospital last year for an allergic reaction to some antibiotics. I was out of it but I must have said I wanted it as I received an email from them when I got home and I was confused how to use it at start but you get an email telling you you have a message and go read about appointments etc I don’t get paper appointments since then but if I do get an appointment I put it in my phone diary. I prefer text but guess it’s sign of times and saving the trees 🌲
I think it is a sign of saving money and things to. There will be no more paper appointments. I hope they consider those who are not tech savvy, live alone and have no help.
yes that’s what I thought too but I do live alone and somehow manage to ring 111 who worked out I was drunk when I was slurring my words and I managed to open my front door and falling into ambulance crews arms so the guy kept reminding me lol
My phone is an Antique and doesn't do Apps, but I do get text messages reminding me of appiontments. What annoys me is the fact that if an appt has to be rescheduled for any reason and I phone the dept to do this they then send another letter confirming the change. As I have marked the changes on my calendar and diary during the call, it's a waste of their resources.
It is a waste sending out another letter. Just send another text near the time. I do appreciate the text reminders.
I have patient access and checking through my records, discovered someone had incorrectly put in I had been taking 1000 mcg thyroxine!!! Which the GP had reduced to 75mcg! I immediately emailed the surgery and told them in no uncertain terms to rectify it at once-what would another Dr think I was doing if that was left on the record??! These things are only as good as the operator!!
You are so right it is only as good as the operator, and it’s a good job you was able to see that otherwise it would been on your records without you knowing.
I always get a text the day after an appointment (they never specify what it was for though, so if one has a few different appts on the same day it can be a bit confusing|),- asking me to assess the quality of care etc, on a scale of 1-5. Then I get asked why I gave that score. It's NEVER the best score, because, as last time, in spite of the screen telling me the nurse was 'on time' I sat and waited 24 minutes-no one else came out, so she must have been having a coffee. I usually say these things work both ways-if I am a few minutes late, I won't be seen-so the same should apply! I was cancelling that appt and rescheduling as I couldn't wait any longer, when she appeared-no apology! its as if my time is worthless!
Hi Needlewoman 22, Yes multiple texts like that that does sound confusing. Also if you have various appointments on one day i can see that it would be stressful to have to wait past the appointment time, as you have the extra worry of being late for the next appointment. I always have to remind myself to try & be patient if that sort of delay happens with the GP, because usually it's just that someone needs a little additional time & if I expect it is to be given to me - which it is has been when needed - then I can't expect it not to be done for someone else - But it is still nice to get an apology if I've been kept waiting!
I would speak to the receptionist and let them know I’m receiving late texts for appointments. They need to sort that out. I usually feel the same when I’m kept waiting well over the appointment time with no explanation or sorry, most of the time.
MY husband has an old flip phone with no inter net access but regularly gets texts giving an online link to read appo9intment letters. He never gets paper letters so all he can do is come to me and try to carefully type out the address. It's a poor system that doesn't take into account that some people can't/won't/ can't afford internet access or expensive phones. I only use Patient Access for prescriptions. I can't even see my records unless I print out a form and take it along with photo iD into the surgery . I don't have a phone contract so I only have a small data allowance and reception is so poor here my phone really struggles to get one bar on 4G so I can really only connect to home wifi. It's time they sorted out all these different apps and considered those who still can't c ope with being online. I even had problems getting phone calls from my GP. I'm deaf and my phone volume really isn't loud enough so I ask them to use our landline number but despite a BIG message on my notes, most still insist on using the mobile so I don't hear it ring or often don't even have it with me.
That is my concern, at least your husband as you. Up until lately my patient access was just for repeat prescriptions and advertising, last month I noticed there’s a lot of new things added, to do with my health records, tests taken and Gp visits etc. That is terrible not calling you by telephone. Yet they advertise all the time a separate number for those who can’t hear. If something is on your notes it should be followed. You have to confront these people. There’s nothing wrong with doing that.
Oh they always shout an apology and ask if I'd like them to ring back on the landline. It's not the hearing them speak that's a problem it's hearing the phone actually ring and because I only ever use it for texts and a few emails it's most likely to be upstairs in my handbag. MInd you most people aret he same now; they expect you t o have a phone glued to your hand so they get instant replies. I don't look at things like messenger unless/until I choose to log on myself. People used to wait a week for a letter; now they expect immediate reponses. But even when you tell them you're hard of hearing, they speak clearly for about 2 minutes then completely forget. Doctors probably the worst even face to face. If they turn their head away and start typing, I can't hear them at all. Everything's so reliant on tech. My car broke down at the hospital 2 weeks a o; blocking the car park entry and exit. It took around 10 minutes to get through to a person at Green Flag for all the messages telling me to go online and get their app which could track me. I have the app but I had no internet signal.
A lot of us don’t realise what the deaf community as to face each day. My friends husband is deaf so she as to try and communicate for him. Even though she tells them he can’t hear they still treat him like he can when he goes for his hospital appointments so she as to try and explain what they’re saying, or talk for him. He’s 80
OH that's disgraceful. MY husband's aunt at 98 was totally deaf. I was the only person who could enunciate clearly enough that she could lip read but because she had dementia, social services banned the family from visiting her at all after she had one of her imagined ideas that people were trying to rob her. She swore someone had stolen her window!! The carers of course didn't have the time to write things down for her.
I think Rose Ayling Ellis made a big difference to people's perceptions. At one time my hearing disappeared totally and I discovered I couldn't even ring 999. It took me ages to find out that they have a text system if you register your phone with them. Thankfully most of my hearing came back
I’m going to pass this on because I know quite a few people with hearing difficulties or loss of hearing. If their hearing relative needs urgent help they wouldn’t have problems communicating.
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