Private surgery - how long for a secretary to reply?

[Namw]

I don’t know if IABU or not.

I had assumed with private healthcare I would get prompt responses to emails.

However the secretary is more difficult to get hold of and to reply to queries than an NHS secretary.

Is my experience typical or am I just unlucky?

Depends what you're asking. If they're waiting for someone to get back to them then they won't have an answer for you.

Can you phone?

How much time have you been waiting? 5 minutes, 5 days, 5 weeks?

I have tried calling but the number only goes to an assistant where I am told m the main secretary is ‘busy’ or ‘in meetings.’

I could understand if they are waiting for someone to get back to them but in that case surely an email reply of acknowledgment and a promise to get back to me by X day wouldn’t go amiss?

This is actually more stressful than waiting to get to the top of the NHS list! I always seem to get unlucky with contractors and tradespeople and I suppose this now feels like an extension of that!

Private doctors tend to work at a variety of places on specific days and have a different secretary at each one -the secretary is probably part-time. My dad had private foot surgery and the whole process was not as he had imagined with private care.

It's worth factoring in that staff may be taking holidays at this time of year.

They are probably part time and /or on holiday. Can you e-mail?