Cancellation of appointments, and obtaining another appointment

[fed13]

Another rant...and a very long one too; sorry. I'm used to driving myself around, but obviously I can't when I go for ophthalmology appointments. I have wet AMD in one eye, a degree of dry in the other.

Recently my "lift" had to let me down twice, (fluke reasons), when I had routine OPD appointments booked. On both occasions I phoned the hospital to cancel the appointments, in the hopes someone else who lived locally to the hospital could come in instead.

Cancelling the appointments was all but impossible. I was put on hold with a continuous voice recording, saying, "You are number one in the Q", BUT no-one ever picked up the phone. I had visions of a phone ringing and ringing in an empty office, or being left unanswered on a hyper-busy desk or station, where no-one had enough time to answer.

(We've all been there, sitting in some OPD Q, listening to the ever ringing phone. That's me, or some other poor person on the other end!)

Obviously the hospital that I attend does not have an adequate system for fielding cancelled appointments. I have written both to the consultant and the head of OPD appointments. I have not had the courtesy of a reply from either.

In the last instance when I had to cancel my appointment, I persuaded a v. kind man in PALS or customer relations to physically walk over to the OPD appointments desk, and explain my dilemma.

I have not been sent another OPD appointment, despite my assurances that for the next appointment I will taxi in if necessary. (Public transport is all but non existent: I live in a rural area.)

Similar experiences and/or advice and comments gratefully received.

[kohai]

Hopefully the following information will help. If you have an NHS appointment and can provide your nhs number (normally on an NHS letter), if you can't get to your appointment yourself, you can phone your the Ambulance transport service. You call them a few days before the appointment, they take you through some questions, like confirming your address, if you use walking or visual aids, giving them the time and date of the appointment, which hospital and clinic etc, and they send ambulance transport to pick you up and take you home (to and from your front door). They take you up to the reception desk of where your appointment is and help get you booked in and seated. If you look on the side of ambulances in your area they have the name of the area they cover.. example, mine is Dyfed-Powys. An internet search for ambulance transport service in your area will give you the number to phone, and it's a free service which you qualify for.

This should then drastically cut down on having to cancel/postpone appointments due to no transport.

As for the phone systems, mornings, especially Mondays and Tuesdays are hectic for hospitals, as are lunch times.. mainly as it's when the majority of calls come in. I tend to hang up if I'm anything higher than 15 in a queue. I put the speaker on on my phone so I'm not sat holding it all that time. Anything above 15 and I call back around 3pm where I get through a lot quicker.

[Panther_1712 in reply to kohai]

Good morning You know I did forget about hospital transport.

Always good to know these things.

Thank you so much Kohai.

😀

[kohai in reply to Panther_1712]

You're very welcome 🙂

[Whitegoose]

In my local area, We have volunteers who take people to hospital appointments. It may be worth you asking around . Your local council may know of volunteer schemes. Also there may be a ring & ride bus service in your area, they collect & bring you back home, there is a charge for this bus service.

I hope this helps.

[fed13]

Thanks to both panther and white goose. Sorry for delay in replying. I don 't have a smart phone and use the computer instead, which I only check once a day. Does anyone have difficulties cancelling appointments?

[kohai in reply to fed13]

fed13 I haven't. I tend to phone the hospital switchboard then ask to be put through to either the reception desk within the hospital clinic or the secretary of whichever specialist I'm under/due to see, and cancel that way. I have tried and failed many times over the last decade to reach anyone on the contact numbers given for the hospital bookings/cancellation line, and being honest, I've only managed to get through about 4 times out of 10 (rough est), which is why I found alternative routes to cancelling them.

[fed13]

Thanks for all your kind replies and advice. I have now been phoned and given another appointment, and a separate phone number to ring to cancel appointments.