Yes, I vaguely remember the missus telling me that had been introduced, so probably national. IIRC the notice period is now a few days.
The end result is they now have to ring 'x' times as many patients to get the required number of "declineds". Someone
Or just maybe he doesn't know (or hasn't be trained) in how to use it properly. So just clicks the "surgery" button and the standard appointment/letter requirements for surgery under general anesthetic is the result.
What ever, complain to the admissions and the day surgery manager. It won't get fixed if those in charge don't know it's broken. The "fix" might be making sure that the consultant actually attends training on the IT system and doesn't go and play golf instead.
How long did they leave it before chasing? Did they ask how long it would be before the appointment arrived in the post?
So why did you wait 2 years if notification of an appointment due within 6 months hadn't arrived within a few weeks? Had *you* failed to ask how long it would take before an appointment should appear and when notification of that appointment would arrive?
Agreed, no one should have to chase things up but if bits of paper don't arrive in a reasonable time frame (less than 2 weeks) or within the time that you have been told(*) they will arrive then it's time to be proactive and chase 'em. If people just sit and wait quietly then no wonder they stay fallen through the cracks in the floor boards, they really only have themselves to blame.
(*) If they don't tell you, ask.
It doesn't work in some situations, though. For example, I needed to book my son in for an appointment - not too urgent, but the next two or three days, preferably.
He leaves for school at 0725. The surgery reception opens at 0830. So I either have to keep him off school 'in case' he gets an appointment, or get one for later in the day and then do a 30 mile round trip to fetch him (he goes by train), or contact the school, and get a message to him quickly that he has to come home *now*. He doesn't get back from school until 1635, and they don't seem to have appointments that late.
OTOH, my doctor (different one, still NHS but a surgery at work) allows advance booking over a week ahead, over the Internet.
Which is fine for some things/people. My partner *cannot* get to the surgery unless I take her - which means booking time off work. So 'on the day only' is unacceptable. However, it is the way our surgery works and she can only get there so I have to book time 'blind' and hope she does get in that day.
The ring at exactly 08:30 system is awful as well. (Or about 08:28 if you are lucky.) Spend twenty minutes on an 0844 number and then the call gets terminated? Or there are no appointments left?
Further complicated by surgery closing on random days 'for training'. Unless you go there and see a notice you would never know.
He's been complaining for the last three years, so you'd have thought he'd have been enlightened by now if that were the case. Anyway, the bookings are made by the front desk in the eye clinic!
Do you really think a labour MP will want to know?
The press would be the best bet.
Well said.
Mary
The time stated is just a guide and they want you to attend at that time regardless of how many is in the queue.
If the family doctor made the appointment? then the neighbour should have gone back to the doctor and informed him/her about the mishap in appointment because when you get an appointment the doctor also gets informed about it,so if the appointment is rescheduled this will also go down onto the doctors records.
I once had an appointment at the hospital and never recieved notification this came to light when the hospital sent me a letter stating my appointent had been cancelled,went to the doctors and he also told me that no notification was on my records,got in touch with hospital appointents and another appointment was made immediatly within the same month of seeing my doctor because of the hospitals mistake.
It's not perfect, but at our surgery you *always* get an appointment (OK a few mins befor closing you probably wouldn't). Only two weeks ago I rang at about 2:30pm and was in the consulting room at 3:30. The phone lines opan at 8:00 or 8:30 but you don't have to ring first thing AM.
MBQ
Who to? Just his patients or the relevant managers?
Not if he's not making a fuss in the right places. Probably does the NHS stuff 'cause he has to but gets better reward from his private work and playing golf.
On presentation of a form filled in by the consultant no doubt. That form either being a bit of paper which you hand in or an electronic one. If the wrong boxes are ticked or not enough written information provided you can't blame the clerk on the desk or the system.
He's your MP, they are there to represent you not the party they happen to belong to (unfortunately a large number do just toe the party line). If they don't ask awkward questions in the house or of the top level of the relevant NHS Trust then it's time for:
Even bigger story, MP not doing his job *AND* covering up a scandal within the NHS.
Of course he hasn't. Anyway, he probably made the whole thing up.
That would be an improvement - quite literally if we do not ring by
08:32 or so there will be no morning appointments - after waiting in the queue for the required length of time. So try at 14:00 - again, within a very few minutes, none will be left.Not sure there really is an answer, but what happens now isn't good for us.
To the managers. I know this guy well, and he's not daft.
Actually, he does some private work. Mainly NHS and a lot of third world charity though!
No form at all....I just go along and book for laser surgery. I talked to one of the other guys and he said it was an inflexibility in the IT system. I can believe that!
*sigh* Oh boy, here we go again.
"Audit Commission - Waiting list accuracy, Assessing the accuracy of waiting list information in NHS hospitals in England"
Para 74: "Potentially of greater direct impact on patients is that a number of trusts were found to be operating in ways that seem weighted away from the interests of patients. These include the practice of offering appointments to patients at short notice and then, when they are unable to attend, recording this as a 'patient cancellation' and resetting the 'clock' measuring their waiting time to zero."
It's a 5 year old report, but it is probably the reason for introduction of the new guidelines which Rod mentioned earlier, an attempt to stop this practice.
I guess that in your eyes we're all making it up. Someone
She was only made aware of the "appointment" when she was sent a card saying she'd missed the first one, so they were putting her on the back-burner for a few months. It _is_ standard practice for many treatments to operated in this manner.
We were not told any timescales, other than we were in the queue for treatment, but it would be a "long wait". When we contacted them we were told we should have been given an appointment within 6 months of a group-session everyone had to attend. We hadn't been told that previously, just the "long wait" speech due to limited funds etc.
While i'd love to agree with you completely, i'm afraid to say I can't. The healthcare system in this country purposely witholds treatment (apparently if they delay treatment for over 12 months the "patient" doesn't ever bother asking again in about 95% of cases, saving them metric shitloads - so this has become their system of saving money)
In our case, we know IVF is a costly and limited treatment, and considered ourselves lucky to be given the opportunity - so when we were told it would be a long wait, we accepted that without question.
Around here it seems to be common for the doctor to send something to the hospital for _them_ to arrange to see the patient. That way, the hospital handles the appointment(s) in a way that best tweaks their performance figures...
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