Hospital won’t rebook cancelled appointment, but I can’t complain

Ah, well that makes sense and a good use of PALS

You did have advice: contact PALS and complain. As everybody should in such situations.

So how is that whinging? Why would you be concerned your colleagues would perceive as “whinging” somebody following up an unacceptable delays and a department that has made itself uncontactable for information - a legitimate complaint by any standards - unless the prevalent view amongst your colleagues is that such sub-standard care is acceptable and patients should just shut up about it unless it’s something immediately life threatening?

I've had travel insurance before with investigations outstanding, and they just add an exclusion clause for anything related to that issue.

From my experience, what actually happens here is an enquiry is made to the department concerned to ensure that the patient's case has not fallen through a gap in the system for whatever reason. If all the referrals are being delayed then if its possible that might be addressed by adding extra clinics or other actions (yes I know flying pigs at the moment) and the enquirer will be given information about waiting times, but it does happen that appointment making errors are made and people whose appointments are cancelled by the hospital will not be put back in the queue where they should have been,or even at all, and that will be rectified.

I see. So again, it’s the patients’ fault is it? They are hateful, or something because they expect adequate and polite care in a timely manner.

I love the NHS, it's a treasure but it's a little sick itself now.
But you have made some strange comments!

You think this makes your comment ok? People who complain are “right whingers”?!

This comment actually confirmed one of my fears.
I don't complain because I'm terrified of being treated even worse than I already am. I had no idea that I was actually right.

I am retired from the NHS. I am probably in a different geographical area from you but to my certain knowledge because I used to deal with them a lot, that is not how PAL's works here.

Lucky him. Many are not because of precisely the behaviours I described from NHS staff.

The majority of the NHS is now beyond a parody of itself.

Exactly. The NHS is not only substandard but clearly toxic as well.

The staff have a culture of covering up mistakes and disrespecting patients but the OP’s posts are very revealing in that there’s clearly a culture of having convinced themselves that patients should think themselves lucky if they very belatedly receive the care they need.

It seems they pretend it is a problem with the patient if they expect to be provided with a treatment plan with appropriate timeframes, and for this to actually be delivered. This attitude is so apparent in many of the staff now in how they speak to patients, as though patients’ very existence is an inconvenience rather than the reason they are employed by us all!

I worked in hospital admin for 26 years. I didn't abuse the system, but I knew enough people to be able to ask a general query about waiting times without it coming across as asking for a favour. However - in your situation I think I would contact either the consultant's secretary, if you think you may have been forgotten (that has happened to me for a cancelled max fax procedure) or the central booking team, if you have one. An appointment cancelled by them should not send you back to the bottom of the list, when I rang up about mine I was seen within 2 weeks!

Why would it look like that when you're just after your appointment replacement that was cancelled? I wouldn't think you were queue jumping.

As I read OP's message, patient A complains about delay and gets prioritised, which pushes patient B further down the queue. That seems unfair

well "you personally" are wrong.