AIBU to think the hospital is wrong?

I've got a hospital appt today, my letter says to arrive 15 minutes beforehand which is reasonable. Sometimes I'm not seen until after the appointment time anyway depending on how busy the clinic is. I think the receptionist was out of order considering you were there well before the time.

Yes they are. My DD has regular appointments (all set months in advance) and while she’s early she’s never been seen on time. We’ve had to wait up to 45 minutes, which we do without complaint.
Also, she’s at uni five hours away. She has told them repeatedly when she is available (she need regular mri scans and blood tests every six months, and should have meetings with a consultant every year) yet they often schedule her when she’s away and then it’s a nightmare to reschedule. Twice the consultant has been cancelled by them and when she told the receptionist she hadn’t seen one in over a year the receptionist said ‘well you missed two’! As if! She already has appointments set for 2027, but anticipates a late cancellation with those too. She has of course asked why she can’t get the bloods and mris done at a hospital near her uni but they insist they be done in London.
The NHS is an amazing resource but my god their administration is awful. For example my son took a day off to get a small procedure done he was very nervous about. Shows up and ‘oh sorry the surgeon cancelled that’! So another six months wait plus no pay for the day. I have also gone to the hospital for a routine appointment, the receptionist says no one is there to conduct the test, even goes to the ‘back’ to check, I leave, get a phone call later saying I missed my appointment! My DD and I hung around for SIX hours waiting for a test only to be told ‘oh they won’t do that on a Sunday’. Well why the heck did you call us in?!? You can see I’m quite exercised by this!

Agreed - quite often a note to PALS does wonders.

Can also mention about short staff - okay they can't magic up a receptionist but I bet they haven't advertised for a replacement or asked part time staff if they would like to do extra hours

Sorry this has happened to you. Definitely contact PALS. You should not need to waste your and your GP's time with re-referral - the hospital system is the problem. PALS can take some time though, so may be worth asking directly to speak with the manager of the scanning dept, who could quickly sort this out and rebook the appointment for you (and hopefully apologise).

(Work in a hospital, and would sort this for you if it were my hospital)

Im not a complainer with hospitals but that is ridiculous. Id ask to speak to someone in charge and kick up a massive stink.

Receptionist should have triaged calling out anyone who has an appointment within next 5 mins.

This is where ridiculous systems in the NHS cause so many problems. Definitely complain to PALS. Do you have any proof of arrival time? I am sure you won't be the only person affected by this.
All the hospitals I attend for my appointments have check in screens where you scan a bar code on your appointment letter or type in your name and date of birth. There are no reception desks. Much more efficient.

No, I really do think getting the scan rebooked and done is the main issue here.

You can do both.

Straight to PALS, that is absolutely outrageous

The waste of the patients time is the main issue here. What are we supposed to be GRATEFUL for waiting 2 x 4 months to get an appointment? Are expectations of our health service so low? Ask for better! It would be far CHEAPER for the NHS to not have such poor admin processes.

Id wttempt to rebook with the clinic before complaining to pals.

Well that knocks all the non-attendance statistics on the head!

I would go to PALs if I were you. This is nonsense.

Were you in the department queue (ie the relevant place for the scan) or the general hospital reception?
This is a crucial question and really influences whether hospital were being U or not.

This really winds me up… Every time I arrive for a hospital appointment, it’s always running late.
At my pregnancy booking appointment, we waited over 30 minutes to be seen, despite arriving earlier and being checked in on time. Then, at my 12-week scan, it was the same story almost 20 minutes late, even though we were early. While we were waiting, the lady who was later doing our scan rushed in, clearly late for work herself. I completely understand that delays can happen , emergencies, staff shortages, unexpected complications but when appointments are scheduled in the middle of the day, people often have to take time off work. For me, it feels incredibly inconsiderate to run late behind almost every time.

When I go for a scan or a blood test, I know the actual procedure won’t take long. But what should be a quick 30-minute appointment often ends up taking over an hour sometimes. It’s just not right. People have jobs to be at, and it shouldn’t be expected that we take an entire day of annual leave just to attend a simple appointment because everything is running so far behind.

We pay for the NHS service, and that ‘S’ means service. I’d have to take time off work to get there, and I would stand at the front of the queue loudly describing the message I was sending to my MP and PALS as I typed them.

If you just let these terrible services walk all over you it will continue. In checking your contact details was the receptionist doing anything of value? No. I know the contact details the NHS have are correct.

Tjis is a shocking waste of taxpayer resources and cannot be allowed to continue.

I'd raise a complaint through pals, the gp needs to put you on the urgent list, I'd also phone the hospital consultants secretary if you've been referred to go on the cancellation list. Our hospital have a self check in machine alongside reception staff.

I once waited 45 mins in reception having checked in, while a consultant chatted with a nurse, quite happy they had a no show.

@mmmmkakshch I don’t think a complaint is the best way forward at this stage. The best thing to do is to contact your consultant’s secretary by phone or by email. Explain what happened and ask to speak to the consultant so that they can make the decision about what happens next.

The priority should be to get your scan rebooked. With a complaint you’ll just get bogged down with policies and procedures, and potentially end up wasting a lot of time.

Once you have got the appointment sorted, however, it might be an idea to contact PALS and highlight your concerns about the understaffing, the missed scan and the receptionist’s handling of the situation. Because it does sound far from ideal!

I may not have barged my way in but I'd have certainly (with apologies) got myself to the front of the queue, interrupted and said "I have been waiting for 15 minutes and my appointment is at 8.30, I am here and don't want to miss it"

I have done similar before (not just for hospital appointments!). You can be apologetic and quick but I'd have certainly tried this tactic.

Another vote for PALS. That's ridiculous!

I'm quite surprised the Dr/clinician didn't come out and call your name anyway.

This is insane!

I'd have been straight down to the PALS office the moment the appointment was cancelled (assuming this hospital has one - mine does but it's a large, London hospital)

Yes raise a complaint, it wasn't your fault and you should not be penalised for it.

I would have been so angry. I would probably have refused to leave without my scan.