Aaaahhhhh!!!! I want to scream!!!!!!

[Angelcake]

Got home to a letter telling me that I've failed to attend an appointment with the consultant!!!!!! The very same appointment which I had to cancel months ago as it was decided that it was too close to the MRI scan and the results would not necessarily be in by then. The appointment which I DID cancel because the consultant wrote me a letter telling me he would contact me as soon as he'd read the results!!!!!!!! The cheek of it!!!!!

So I've just been on to the hospital secretary demanding that she put a note on my records that I DID NOT fail to attend and that she personally writes a note to the consultant informing him of this!!!!!!!! Then I had the same rant with the doctors surgery and told her that because of this, I've now been put to the back of the waiting list and if i want an appointment I'm going to have to wait 10 months!!!!! When she asked me would I like to see the GP to discuss the matter I told her that the last time I went to see the GP with a long list of symptoms and real concerns for my wellbeing, I was reminded that I only had a ten minute appointment, and she couldn't possibly discuss all of that in ten minutes and would I come back in three weeks time!

So therefore they don't actually care about me either and I have no faith in them any more, so no I don't want to see the GP I will struggle on and wait ten months!!!!! I'm furious!!!

Rant over!

[grannyjogger]

This is so frustrating. As far as the hospital is concerned I would put the explanation in writing because the secretarial staff may not put the information on your notes as you have asked. It's harder for them to ignore a letter especially if you quote the reference number of the letter they sent you!! Good luck and I hope it doesn't take too long to get another appointment.

[Angelcake]

Good advice thanks!

[megs_tom]

So sorry to hear about this, how annoying!! I have just had blood repeated and my rhuemie told me at the end of august he would see me in 6-8 weeks. I still had not recieved an appointment so rang hospital and receptionist said I have an appointment in January!! 4 months to get blood results!! It really does feel like none of them care! Hugs to you and definately put it in writing xxx

[Riverbird]

Gosh what a communication/administrative mess up! It will not make you feel any better but following my very first OPD appt. and blood tests it was deemed I should be seen again very urgently. The follow-up appointment never arrived and months went by. I phoned the secretary three times alerting her to a possible problem, but who just told me she had no idea when I would be seen (I felt she could have added and I don't really care either).After nine months the PCT cottoned on that they had an appointment system problem and to cut a long story short I got an "urgent" appointment to sort out astronomically high blood results after ten months. The Senior Reg.was very apologetic, stating that I had not been treated very well at all. BUT, I knew I was one of about 8,000 patients in the same boat, some worse off than I. After years of working within the NHS I know that staff are usually under pressure, sometimes stressed because of what they have to deal with, short staffed and working all hours, plus a multitude of other problems that people in "normal" jobs do not have to deal with, but that is why they should receive lots of extra training, enabling them to deal with patients sensitively. Only rarely have I come across someone who did not really care. You will always get the odd bad apple, as in any profession, but most are trying to balance an imperfect system as best they can, and also trying to make it better. So the secretary who I felt sounded couldn't care less, I like to think really did. She just did not have either an appointment or a solution to offer me, and I was one of very many people who phoned her for the umpteenth time that day and whom she could not help. It was no excuse for her having an off-handed manner, but if I learnt anything in my years of work, it was that in trying to understand the system, it gives the best chance of getting the most out of it. GP surgeries do give 10 minute appointments and usually advise that if you feel your problem will take longer to book a double appointment, but how many patients know this? It is probably hidden somewhere in the patients leaflet. I know I have not read mine through properly. Somehow you should have been told that this is the way the system works at your practice before you booked your appointment.I feel really so sorry for you that this has happened, it clearly should never have done so and is just so frustrating and I can understand your desire to scream! (very loudly!) Your GP will have been trying to squeeze in as many people as possible in her session in order to meet other targets, been short on time but should never have been short with you! One always risks missing something important when being dismissive towards patients and most importantly not really listening, which is the crux of the problem. I wonder if writing an explanation to your consultant will help, asking for an earlier appointment. It would do no harm to jog his memory with your name in any case. I do hope you manage to get an appointment bought forward in both cases. Perhaps also ask the surgery to contact you should they get a double appointment cancellation too so that you can be seen earlier there. Sorry I have no further suggestions, just don't give up trying to beat the system, you will eventually.

[Maureenpearl]

Hi, I hope when your consultant get your MRI result he will send you a new appointment sooner than 10months. You can however get in touch with PALS, just ring your hospital and ask to be put through to PALS and you can then tell them your problem with the appointments and they should be able to offer you advice as to what to do.

You can ask for a double appointment when you go to your GP and they will book you in for 20 minutes instead of 10minutes.

[Angelcake]

Thanks guys x