What appointment?

[Marcy47]

Just had a text reminding me about my appointment at Salisbury Hospital on 17th April. Only problem is I haven't rec'd an appointment and I will be in Malta that day. Tried to phone NHS Salisbury and there is no-one there until Monday! Left a message, see if they get back to me. No wonder there are so many missed appointments, if they don't get sent out in the first place.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

You don’t expect admin staff to work at weekend do you! 🤔

[Telian in reply to DorsetLady]

I'll let you know next week as I've finally got my Cardiology appt for next Sunday!

[Hidden]

Bummer.

[Soraya_PMR]

How irritating. Hope that doesn’t cause a huge delay for you.

When I was at GP this week, I asked him to check for my smear result as I hadn’t heard since February. He checked and all is fine, but he said “Why didn’t you get a letter?” I assume it was rhetorical

I was expecting a rheum appt March/April but have heard nothing. In view of your episode, I may just phone to check.

[Marcy47 in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Wasn't expecting an appointment, don't know what it was for, or even if it was for me or my hubby, as we both use the same mobile no. !!!

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Marcy47]

Oh! Haha! A mystery.

[daw50]

I had the same from my hospital. I have spoken to a doctor, sister and the admin staff at the desk and guess what...........I have a totally unnecessary appointment on Thursday which I have decided to attend in an attempt to rectify the matter. No wonder the NHS losing £160 for each appointment missed if patients don't get letters in the first place!!

[SheffieldJane]

Also the robot voiced confirmation that asks for your name first sounds like the unsolicited marketing or scamming calls I hang up on. You could send an old fashioned letter with all the reference numbers NHS number etc. It’s better than being referred back to the GP which they do as a policy with non attenders now.

[Hidden]

Last week I had a supposed 2 day text reminder of hospital visit around midnight - appointment was for 9am next morning! Even my pred head figured it was wrong. Good job I knew of appointment .

[simoncla]

I had been waiting 10 months for dexascan appointment. Phoned them to be told they had sent letter 2 weeks before and appointment had been for week ago and I was a no show. They obviously hadn’t sent letter it’s just another of their scams to massage figures. They didn’t send text reminder either, like they normally do, to facilitate the scam.

[Telian]

Years ago now I once got an appointment to go for a mastectomy! it came on a Saturday for the following Monday. When I got through to someone on the Monday morning, I'd gone to work instead of the hospital - they still told me I should be there, that they were trying to call me on the Friday and the 'Team' were waiting for me! I was like jelly, as I'd had a check-up the previous week saying nothing to report. In the end the Sister where I was working spoke to them for me, as I began doubting my earlier results. In the end they had got it wrong no apology or anything. I just felt sorry for the person it was meant for. Just imagine if I was as brainless as I am now.......

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Telian]

How frightening!

An apology would have been nice.

Bet you felt sick!

[Telian in reply to Soraya_PMR]

I did - particularly because my Mum had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and we (sisters) were just getting checked out. So you can say I felt vulnerable at the time - it wouldn't happen now! but as you say an apology would have been appropriate.

Needless to say I did succumb in the end but all good so far..fantastic treatment.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Telian]

NOT liking that you succumbed, but liking that you’re getting fantastic treatment.

[stellafmdm]

I wonder if the post office are sometimes responsible for 'losing' letters! I've had a lot of problems with something else that I normally receive regularly every 2 months, and even when posting was confirmed, nothing has turned up on many occasions!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to stellafmdm]

No doubt - and there is always the spectre of the lazy postie as identified here in Italy!! 400kg of post found dumped in his garage... Two different cases since New Year!

But there is one in Whitby who I have serious doubts about and nearly got us a CCJ when only the final notification to appear in court appeared, none of the previous notifications had reached us. Though there there is also the unpleasant neighbour who lives in the main house and rather than walk 20m round the side of the house to put it in our daughter's mailbox prefers to stick the mis-delivered letter in the postbox considerably further away. The council didn't help by allowing there to be 3 totally different addresses involving 4 and the street name in a single postcode!

[Telian in reply to stellafmdm]

There's loads of reasons as PMRpro has highlighted and many more I'm sure. We have had, more than once, others' bank statements which were correctly addressed but through our letter box, when that happens if it's not local I just put it back in the post box.

My father-in-laws original death certificate has never arrived and that's 30 years this year!

Whatever you'll never get the real truth from the post office or the sender!

[BonnyQuine in reply to Telian]

We quite often get other people's misdelivered mail, and do as you do. Has included NHS appointments. Presumably loads of ours also goes astray. Sigh.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Telian]

What annoyed most with the CCJ was the attitude of the local council when I rang to pay the overdue council tax - one month between tenants that had completely slipped our mind living in Italy. I really did feel they should have at least recorded the letter and charged it to our council tax account and asked if there was anything we could do in future. Didn't know, didn't care...

[Telian in reply to PMRpro]

That's how they make their money! still disgusting though, I call them untouchable gods (no capital g)

[Jackoh]

Yes this had happened to friends- so annoying!!

[Graememidsussex]

Marci may , well done for getting a text message ;0)

I waited 9 months to get my first appointment with a Rheumy doctor in December 2017

I eventually received a letter in October telling me I had missed an appointment in September ! I told some numbskull I didn’t get an appointment letter . I argued that I didn’t get a text message either ( I only live 150yards from the hospital ) had I done so I would have been there . I was blamed for not showing up ! I asked them to research the previous ‘miss appointments’ I had had . They could find any , I’ve never missed one expect on the occasion I really wanted to see a Rheumy doctor . I think they are fiddling their figures somehow , I’m sure they didn’t send me an appointment letter !

I was threatened with being referred back to my GP , who had referred me to them in January ‘17. I was livid !!

Strangely enough they managed to find me a cancellation but it was still nearly a year before my first Rheumy appointment

I totally sympathise with you ;0)

[Hidden]

My sister told me yesterday that she received a letter at 11.50 one day for an appt at 12 that day at a hospital 65miles away. Rang up and they said ok you will get another appt and then she rec'd a letter 3 days later saying as she had failed to turn up she would have to be referred again. Finally got sorted and appt in May now. She used to work for the post office😂