Just buggered up a hospital appointment I’ve waited 8 months for!

[JustlookingNotbuying]

I am so very annoyed with myself today.
I have ongoing digestive issues. Trying to get an appointment with a gastroenterologist over the last few years has been a bloody nightmare.
I had a face to face appointment November 2021 after waiting months and months.
My appointment was the first one of the day. I arrived on time. Waited and waited. The waiting room became busier and busier. An hour later I still hadn’t been called in so checked with reception, they said I was still on their list.
My phone then rang, it was the consultant’s secretary. She was ringing to cancel my appointment - wtf! I told her I’d be sitting in the waiting room for over an hour. She apologised and said she thought my appointment was a telephone consultation but advised to sit and wait it out, she explained there were two gastro clinics running that morning and my consultant’s colleague had not turned up due to an overnight emergency so my consultant was basically running two clinics at once.
Needless to say he was as stressed as hell and the appointment was a waste of time as it was literally over in 10 mins. I had a list of my issues etc but there was very little time to go over everything.
So I was given an appointment for today (8 months later!).

Its a telephone consultation for 9.15. I have waited by my phone since 9am.

At 9.40 he rings. I have a new phone and instead of swiping right to answer I stupidly swiped left (as with my old phone) and swiftly cut the bloody call off (I could have cried).
Though he may try again, at least once but no, he just left a voicemail asking me to rearrange the appointment.
I am so upset and frustrated. A long 8 month wait and half a day off work for nothing.
I tried ringing the secretary back straight away but she’s not answering so I’ve had to leave a voicemail.
I am so, so angry with myself for such a silly mistake. Now I’ll have to wait another age and meanwhile my digestive issues are still ongoing.

"How can PALS help?
PALS provides help in many ways. For example, it can:

help you with health-related questions
help resolve concerns or problems when you're using the NHS
tell you how to get more involved in your own healthcare"

There you go then OP. That is what PALS is there for despite the protestations of some that actually work with it and would rather you didn't use it...

I realise I may get flamed for this, but unfortunately I know the desperate feeling you're experiencing. I used to suffer migraines, 3-4 times a week, sometimes a day, sometimes several days, sometimes they went into one another. It was so bad I had to leave my job. A couple of weeks after I left during twixmas another one hit and DP took me to A&E as I couldn't stop being sick and the pain was awful. I really didn't want to go at all (I remember being curled up on the back seat in the dark), but honestly accidentally being sick on the doctor's floor got me seen and got me pushed up the list. So, if you are desperate act desperate, don't hold back. I'm sorry you are having to go through this.

Exactly, it’s the gastroenterology department, you’d think he would have a little bit more compassion seeing that most of his patients are either IBS, IBD or bowel cancer sufferers!

Thank you so much but sadly it’s in Essex.

No worries, I understand the stress, it's been 3 years for me and have a bmi of 14 but "at least your maintaining weight" 🙄is the response I get. I've been told it's an average of 5 years before they get anywhere near an idea on diagnosis, so sorry to be a bearer of bad news, it's a stressful journey.

I wish you all the best and hope you get sorted.

Itiswhatisit90 I’m sorry, that’s just awful. No one should have to wait that long.

That's awful. I missed my GP calling ( it was one of those we'll all sometime today and I had to pee), tried to call back and couldn't get through but he called me again 10 minutes later ( I assume he'd slotted the next patient in the middle).

Thanks ... dont want to hitch hike your thread 😂

Hopefully someone can supply you with an email address if it'd not on your letter (normally on the top right of your last clinic letter- you could get a copy from your gp if you've thrown it)

So annoyed. Just had a text from the hospital with my new appointment, for the 12th December.
I really didn’t want to have to go through PALS but I have waited for so long for this appointment and really need it as I’m suffering every day with my issues and can not afford to see someone privately (so many people I know have gone privately since Covid as they just can not wait in pain/discomfort with these awfully long waiting times) and now I have to wait a further 4 months, it’s seems quite unfairly as the consultant could have tried once more to call me. I truly feel for disabled, elderly and people who are hard of hearing etc, these telephone appointments are truly crap, I’ve had quite a few over the last couple of years and they are very rarely satisfactory.
(off to google my hospital’s PALS details 🙁).

Keep badgering the secretary. Ring the main switchboard and ask to be put through that way.
They’ll get fed up of you ringing eventually.

OP you have every right to use PALS as the hospital have not acted reasonably here. I hope you get some success with it.

I’m sorry for the stress.

Maybe I just have some sort of low animalistic standards but if I’m waiting for an important call I just take my phone in to the loo with me.

Sswhinesthebest unfortunately the hospital’s switchboard system has changed recently, they seem to have gotten rid of the helpful switchboard ladies who would give out email addresses/numbers etc but now it’s an automated system where you have to say the consultants name etc and every time I try it keeps reverting back to the original message.
Luckily, I found her number via an old letter but she doesn’t answer just asks you to leave a message, I left 3 messages yesterday and asked if she could call me back as I needed to know if the consultant would call me back yesterday or if I could return to work as I’d taken the morning of specifically for the appointment but obviously she hasn’t bothered and has just generated an appointment for me. I’ll just have to keep leaving messages.

WhiskersPete I’ll definitely have to go down that path, unfortunately.
Adversity I did take my phone with me but Sod’s law the minute he rang I was ‘mid-wipe’ (sorry way, way tmi 😳)

This is ridiculous. I really feel for you.

Can you leave another message saying that you were on the toilet due to your “issues” and as you believe it is policy to call twice, you will be complaining to pals unless you hear back from her within 24 hours.

Gives her a chance to stay out of trouble and get back to you quicker.

Sswhinesthebest I have mentioned my issues and the reason I couldn’t answer on the messages but obviously they don’t care. Do you know if it’s actual NHS policy to ring twice as I can’t find that anywhere online?

Managed to speak to the secretary she said there are no sooner appointments because a registrar has left they are very understaffed so unless a cancellation comes up (I said I will take anything) then there is nothing she can do, she said by all means complain to PALS but they still won’t be able to generate an appointment as they are so short staffed.
I can’t believe that after 8 months of waiting, I’m back to square one.
I know the NHS is in dire straits but our local hospital in particular really is poor, it’s has a ‘requires improvement’ QCC rating so no wonder they are all leaving. Don’t know where that leaves the poor patients though?

Oh, and out of curiosity I contacted our local private hospital.
I can see the very same gastroenterologist next week in his private practice at £200 for a 20 minute consult.
I can not really afford to but will if I have to, I suppose but I’m back to square one still if I need any further tests are they will be ££££’s.
We are going to become like the USA soon where only the rich or those able to afford good health care premiums and therefore enjoy good health, the rest of us are fucked.

The first thing you can do is NOT blame yourself. It's a shambles and you've waited a ridiculous time for a paltry phone appt. To give you context I got a docs appt and referral then an appt for a full investigative procedure 6 weeks later, covered mostly under insurance in another EU country (dual passport) last year. So stop giving yourself a hard time! I think you're doing the right thing by calling repeatedly as someone really needs to see you.

Really sorry Op, am a medic and infant just finished my telephone clinic this morning and having a quick bite to eat.
I generally ring 2/3 times during the clinic appointment time and wait till the ring goes to answering machine, we are only given 10 mins for each consultation but there are a lot of elderly patients who take their time to get to phone, patients at work looking for a discreet place to answer etc.,
Make a complaint, not sure what else to suggest..
It looks like your hospital is really struggling. We are struggling as well, it is a bit shit covering for colleagues when being short staffed, hospitals don't seem to get schedulers, booking staff who could do their job well - this creates a lot of difficult situation.

Lot of my colleagues are leaving NHS, retiring soon.
GP referrals to secondary care have skyrocketed in certain specialities. Gastroenterology is one of them, almost all GI cancers, bowel cancer screwing , having a huge workload of chronic liver ( increase alcohol consumption throughout pandemic, lack of social networking, support system during pandemic ) and bowel disorders, eating disorders ( again a vast increase since pandemic ) as well as looking after sick patients on the ward. Gastro is probably the most busiest ward in any hospital, in my experience. No wonder they can't recruit and retain specialists in certain hospitals.

Bowel cancer screening

Thank you softplayhooray
ProfessorLayton1 I really can not believe that he didn’t at least try a second time especially knowing how long the wait for a further appointment is. It’s really unprofessional of him.
It is reassuring to know that some of you do appreciate that not all of us can leap to the phone in seconds and will give us another chance, thank you.
I left working for the same hospital 10 years ago, it was struggling then so God only knows what it is like now. I really feel for anyone working for the NHS as it must be so very stressful right now.
I suppose I will have to complain if I’m to get anywhere. I am not a natural-born complainer but the truth is that I’m suffering with my health condition, my gp can’t help and I don’t have the funds for private care so I’ll have to stick with the NHS as I have nowhere else to turn to.

I know it’s not the answer you want, but having had family members recently go private due to waitlist, they were then put on the NHS list for treatment following the consultation. So it may be worth it rather than wait another 4-5 months.