Sexual health clinic not answering the phone...

[Fourarmsv2]

Rang GP surgery yesterday re getting a coil fitted - I've been advised to by GP to see if it helps heavy bleeding. Waiting for a rereferral to gynae after op in summer hasn't helped.

I wasn't asked if it was for emergency contraception. Was told I'd get a call back from the person responsible for that clinic.

No phone call.

Rang again today - person booking that clinic is off sick this week. No one else can help.

Asked about local sexual health clinics and got number for the one at local hospital.

Have now been in call waiting for over half an hour. No 'you are 7th in the line' just awful music.

I'd imagine most scared kids needing MAP etc would have given up.

WIBU to complain to PALS?

[OddSocksHighHeels]

I don't know much about making complaints to PALS but it does all sound a bit of a shambles.

Would it be easier to find a walk-in clinic though? You wouldn't need to waste your time getting through to anybody on the phone then.

[MakStout]

I imagine most scared kids needing the Map would go to a pharmacy, walk in centre or the teen drop ins, I know that's what I and everyone I knew did. Schools tend to have signs in the toilets with the teen drop in details etc. That's beside the point though, unfortunately NHS clinics in all areas of treatment have high call volumes and low numbers of staff to deal with them. Can you Google the name of the clinic, lots have drop in sessions.

[blibblobblub]

Wouldn't people just go to the pharmacy for the MAP? That's what I've always done.

[JawannaDrink]

No idea what PALS is but sure, make an official complaint, then the overworked people running the clinic can deal with that as well as everything else, and have even less time to answer the phone

People needing the MAP can go the chemists like everyone else.

[BerniceB]

Actually it can be helpful to make a reasonable complaint. Management can be more likely to respond to client complaints than to staff complaints about the same issue.

[Fourarmsv2]

I complained. Or commented anyway.

The website says this:

It is important that you check that the service you need is available when you want to attend clinic. Please call the central number for sexual health 0300 421 6500 for what is available in your area.

So I can't just drop in. I will need to take a day off work for this as a smear normally sends me into mild shock so I'm not imagining this will be any better. Ideally I'd like to arrange for DH to come with me too as I'm quite scared about it.

I'd like them to have had call waiting which tells you what place in the queue you are. If after 45 mins I'd have known I was next I'd have held on. But maybe they'd all gone for the day? Maybe the website could have clinic times?

[OddSocksHighHeels]

If you google for family planning clinics in your area then I'm pretty sure you will have walk-in clinics available and they're usually in the evenings because of people working.

Don't be too scared though. Easy for me to say I know! Hope you get it sorted soon.