Do referrals go into a black hole?

[Rocky1]

I wonder if we found a black hole, how many referrals would they fnd there as mine seem to be disappearing somewhere!

[gillimac]

I saw my gp last Thursday snd asked to be referred back to the orthopods with my knee (I had my cartilage shaved about 20 months ago) . I thought that I too would have problems as I had before. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a telephone call this afternoon asking me if I could attend on Monday 24th June. Is this a record!!!

[Calceolaria]

I find I have to chase everything up, whether its hospitals, GPs, the bank, gardener, fuel suppliers, everybody. Except Amazon!

[Hidden]

Hello

The wayI am feeling at the moment I wish I could go down black hole

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Not sure I would, the go compare man got swallowed up by a black hole!

[missrat]

With the 'Choose and book' system down here it is incredibly quick - as was my radio-frequency ablation!

Just wish the mental health team was!

[Hidden]

I heard those systems were good - patients booking own appts. There's a better attendance too so less missed appts. Downside for us though that means less chances of getting a cancellation.

[Hidden]

Yes, it's quick to use, but Choose and Book has been a choice all right - HOBSON'S choice!

A lot of pretence goes on with this... the choices I have been given (about 5 recently, 2 Consultant referrals, 2 ultrasound scans and a bone scan ) have never been real choices at all, merely some choice in times for the appointment, never a choice of Consultant or venue!

The most ridiculous one was for a DEXA scan.... Living in a big city, (not out in the highlands of Scotland) I got the option of driving past 2 massive General hospitals (one is 6 miles and one 12 miles on a round trip) on a grand tour of of over 35 miles instead to a DEXA bone scanner in a "shed" 5 weeks in the future until I made a big deal about it, and got an appointment 3 weeks QUICKER at the nearest!

Of course this was because it is in a different Trust area, although for some bizarre reason the scanner in my local trust area is located well away from the other centres, and handy to only a small proportion of the patients in the catchment area!

[teadrinker]

I used to think there was a kind of Bermuda triangle around the local hospital where my referrals, and on one occasion my medical notes, disappeared into. I now go to appointments expecting to be told they've not got my notes / I'm not on their list etc and it's actually a bonus when it all goes to plan & they're expecting me & have my notes ready.

On one occasion I was phoned up by choose & book as they needed to help me choose and book an appointment for a referral made for me. However, the clinic I'd been referred to only ran on the third Thursday of the month with an "r" in it or something, and when they finally found a date the appointments hadn't been made available for that date so they couldn't book it anyway!