OT: NHS Fail

[Davey]

I have a mobile 'phone that I only turn on when either I want to make a call using it, or I am expecting a call back on it. I do not keep it with me at all times, nor do I check it daily for messages. About 18 months ago, I turned it on and there was a message from our local hospital telling me about an appointment for my wife. I got onto the NHS website, and found the page called DrDoctor (!), where I was able to log the information that I wished to receive messages by mail, not text, and not to my mobile. It worked fine for months. Then a couple of weeks ago, I received a call telling me that my 'phone appointment in a week was being changed. I didn't even know I had an appointment. The next time I turned on my mobile, there was a message telling me about this appointment, which had now been changed. There was also the option to text a word to tell DrDoctor that I wanted mailed paper messages, instead of text messages. Now I get both, which is better, but my 'phone is still bunged full of text messages that all need deleting. Grrr. I think that they have no concept of somebody NOT being linked at the hip to his mobile 'phone. We are out there!

[Chris Hogg]

+1

It's the way of the world these days! :-(

[Mark Carver]

WTF  did you give the NHS your mobile number in the first place then ?

The vast majority of mobile phone users have their phones switched on, and with them all day, so it's not unreasonable for the NHS to tailor their system to that assumption

[jim.gm4dhj]

as a nokia 110 owner I feel your pain as I don't carry it about all the time....the thing that gets on my wick is two stage verification for everythig and the sending od internet links that I can't click on

[jim.gm4dhj]

stuff it

[Andy Burns]

I tend to agree, if you know the phone is rarely used, don't give your number to anyone!

[Brian Gaff]

Yes, and they don't have any concept that a blind person may not want the additional complexity of a smart phone and send 89 year old ladies a text saying cclick here if you cannot make this appointment. The worlds systems are run using people who are 35 or younger who have no concept of a dumb Doro phone. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

There is in fact a bit of legislation to cover this, Its called the Accessible Information Standard, and is supposed to allow you to tell your local doctor to use your preferred method of communication and to include this data on all referrals they make to NHS trusts. It has been in for years now, but very few trusts even have a policy, never mind training regime to make sure the staff know about it. When you ask they say things like Email is insecure or against the GDPR, which may make some people satisfied but is in fact a load of cobblers.

It just means they don't want to be arsed to do it. Brian

[Mark Carver]

I've got the opposite problem, I've been trying to exorcise our landline number from the NHS system for about 10 years, but very occasionally they still ring it. We've moved house twice in that period, and (as far as I'm aware), and never sent mail to a previous address after I've updated that on their system.

[Tricky Dicky]

I had that issue with my mothers medical practice they had her land line number and my mobile number for dire emergencies. Every time they wanted to speak to her it was the mobile number they rang, I think they see a mobile number and automatically use it thinking it is the best chance of speaking to someone. In my mothers case they knew she was immobile and spent her days with the phone constantly beside her and I had pointed this out to them on numerous occasions but still they rang me!

Richard

[alan_m]

+1 I find that the appointment reminders to my mobile phone from the NHS, private dentist or garage saying that my MOT is due in a month is very helpful. Some of the NHS non urgent routine appointments have all been made by text messaging. I've also found that snail mail has been so delayed that one appointment I was given was delivered the day before the appointment and as I was leaving for a 2 week break the same day as the delivery a PITA to ring to cancel at such short notice.

I don't necessarily have my phone on me all my waking hours but I will check it a couple of times a day if its in other rooms on charge.

[Davey]

My late wife hated the idea of holding a mobile 'phone, she had great trouble holding the things. Even DECT handsets caused her physical pain after a few minutes.

[alan_m]

You make the erroneous assumption that technology cannot be used in old age. My 92 year old mother uses her mobile smart phone on a regular basis. She is now discovering some of the benefits of things like alexa to voice control various functions now that her mobility is not too good.

For regular phone contacts she now only has to say "alexa phone fred" etc. - one of the advantages of a smart phone for someone with failing eyesight.

[Davey]

Probably because they asked for it when I first registered at the local practice, not realising how much they would mis-use it. Or I may have given it to them at a time when I was expecting a call and knew I would be on the road.

But if they accept your instructions to change that, they should remember that, not revert to text message on the mobile after 18 months.

[charles]

Indeed so. For my first cataract op, I got 4 days notice by text, the letter arrived the day before the op. For my second, which was nearly 3 weeks ago, I still haven't received the letter.

[Tim Streater]

You could block their number.

[Davey]

But if there is a genuine call from the hospital, I would like to know what they have to say.

[Davey]

I wonder if I could register 'mobilephoneophobia' as a disability? Then they would have to pay attention.

[Graham Harrison]

Would you answer a call from "Private Number"? It's a good thing I did one Friday because it was the hospital telling me I had an appointment with a consultant (pre the actual op) for the following Tuesday. when the same thing popped up a month later I wasn't hesitant while they told me my op was the following week.

When I answered the first time they told me who they were (am I going to believe that?) and started asking me verification questions. I managed to get enough information from them (they were reluctant) to convince myself they were the hospital and the conversation proceeded from there.

Second time, I was driving, and when I explained that fact, they texted me (having told me verbally) all the details so there are some benefits. What they didn't tell me was that on Sunday afternoon an NHS patient transport minibus would turn up at home to Covid test me and I nearly missed it!

[Mark Carver]

You credit them with far too much of a 'streamlined' and slick process.

Basically giving them (and it's not just the NHS) a phone number, is something that not 100% reversible.

And here's a good story from yesterday. My wife was working from home doing some bookkeeping for one of the companies she works for. I was in the study. The landline phone rang, (made me jump because it's a rare occurrence, and normally a scam ) I answered it, silence...., said hello two or three more times, and eventually a foreign voice via a low quality ViOP link said 'Hello'. I was about to blurt out a profanity, and hang up, when she asked for my wife by name. I was still suspicious, but asked who she was, she said she was from, 'xxxxx Bank'. I called my wife in, and handed the phone to her. She had difficulty understanding what the woman was asking, but then I heard her start to give her date of birth. At this point I hit the telephone hook. Something seemed wrong.  My wife then immediately received an email on her work address telling her that her access to the on line banking portal (same bank as the woman said she was phoning from) had been restricted owing to her failing a security check.

Anyway, she then phoned the bank's fraud number (from her mobile, which is registered as her contact number for that bank) and the landline call had apparently been genuine. The bloke she spoke to was intelligent, top quality phone line, and sorted out the issue efficiently.

What's a mystery is how and where the bank  got our landline number ? My wife is adamant she has never given any of the banks she deals with for her work our landline number, and it's a bank we have never used ourselves for personal banking.

The incoming call did have a CLID, and sticking it into Google indicates it's a genuine number for that bank.