To think that if you cancel on the day with the NHS, you should be put to the bottom of the list?

While we are on the subject of complaining about the NHS can we talk about the fact that I’m still waiting for letters to turn up for hospital appointments that I had 3 months ago good thing I was told over the phone about them but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have gone to the appointments. Can we also talk about the fact that I was supposed to be seen by my consultant in September for a 6 week check up but I have only just been given an appointment for 21st October which is 5 weeks later than I should’ve been seen. Hospitals are just as bad as patients.

Not everyone has the luxury of transport that is reliable. For those with disabilities it is particularly difficult, transport options don't exist, carers can let you down & illness stops you in your tracks. Gow would the NHS be sure someone had a reasonable excuse?

If you get a date that clashes with your holiday I'd check with the department. I got a date for a scan (different I know) and I was going to be on holiday so I phoned them and they told me roughly when the next date would be. In fact it was earlier so I had to postpone again

The way some parts of the NHS do appointments is annoying.

They unilaterally send appointments instead of letting you know you are OK to book.
They cancel appointments by letter, in once case earlier this year my DM turned up at an appt to be told it was cancelled, she got home to find the cancellation letter had just arrived.
They unilaterally move appointments from a convenient date and time to an inconvenient one.
etc.

Other places let you book a date time and place convenient to you, which you are therefore far less likely to miss.

That’s what insurance is for - cancel the holiday

I've been waiting for knee replacement on the NHS since May, and now due to go on holiday in 4 weeks. If I get a date before my holiday, can I postpone operation for few weeks without ending at bottom of list again.

The smug attitude saying that because other people can't get seen, we must all be idiots and martyrs.

She picked up a cancellation. What's the problem

I had a scan appointment. I knew I’d be on my period. I called and left a message on an answer machine every day for two weeks to ask if that mattered. I also wanted to know if I needed a full bladder. I didn’t hear back. Was it listened to? What if I’d have been calling to cancel instead - would that have been actioned?

My bloke had an appointment at a huge teaching hospital yesterday and was in and out before his appointment time. That happens frequently there.

I've been the first appointment after lunch and they're still running late

There's one hospital I go to where I think I've been seen late once. But the hospital is tiny

What I dont understabd in every single NHS department always runs late in my area, if so many patients cancel or dont turn up,if im already waiting 30,40,50 mins past app time what would it be like if everyone did turn up?

It's not the NHS know (or most people on this thread) that you can just ring up and be seen sooner when you feel it's urgent 😂

I get cancelled operations - mine caused cancellations and I felt awful as I had waited so long so I knew how they must be feeling
but that’s going to happen. My surgeon had me and another patient down for morning and 2 others in the afternoon
i was first in, and didn’t get out of theatre until after 6pm so everyone was else was cancelled

I think they are implying that you cannot do what you have done. Good for you , using your initiative

In which parallel universe does the appointment office phone number on the letter actually work, and if so, when do they actually answer it.

OH has spent most of last week trying to find the phone number for the local ENT appointment clerks - the numbers on the top of two different letters (different numbers) were both out out of order, and the phone number he found for ENT reception just constantly rang out on several occasions. He actually went to ENT to ask at reception and they just gave him the same two phone numbers that don't work and couldn't offer him any other numbers and couldn't make/change any appointments themselves. All they could do was offer to "ping" an email to the appointments clerks which he asked them to do, but they've not got back to him yet!

My work colleague had a appointment, she waited over 2 months for one, she had to take day off.
When she turn up, they said there is no appointment booked for her and the person she meant to see it not there.
And to add cherry on top week later she received letter of no show for appointment.
She complained, but still she is waiting for new appointment. (few months now)

Why do you keep calling me and others on this thread "idiots" every time you post? 🤨

Sounds very helpful of you, imo, ignore the naysayers

DH has been called by the hospital and offered a last minute cancelled appointment so yes, they do call

This. I’m still trying to get through to the gynae number. I’m working and the phone is beside me ringing. No one answers and then it cuts off.

Im amazed there's always someone available to answer the phone , that's generally not my own experience

Even if I call the GP I expect to be about 45 in the queue and then there won't be any apts left anyway

if everyone did that there would be less wasted appointments - like i said previously it would be good if they used some kind of automated clearing system for appointment slots
They are always really pleased when I call and they can fill the slot because they hate the waste too but they don't have time to manually call everyone on their wait list.
If you don't do it and just sit meekly waiting 8 months for your appointment do you really feel superior about that or do you feel like a bit of an idiot? Sit there and feel like a martyr if you must but I'm not doing anything underhand or wrong.

I'm glad you just ring up the NHS when you fancy an appt and get a cancellation you're happy with and get seen nice and early, instead of everyone else on this thread who's having to wait 9 months to be seen :)

how is that dishonest - are you an idiot or something? If I use up someone's cancelled slot it saves them wasting the cancelled appointment time - do you really think all these overworked teams have time to phone everyone on their list asking if anyone wants to move up a time slot? I'm not taking an appointment from someone else.