"when I asked a question about something medically accepted in the US, his response was there's a load of rubbish on the internet" - to be fair to the Doctor hes telling the truth!
Too true Newgolddream :) but in this instance he was wrong....I wouldn't of minded but my info hadn't even come from the net, but from various relevant sources including Doctors, so sadly doesn't instill much faith in said Doctor & this appointment is sort of related
& dayshiftdoris I didn't need a time/day, any day would be fine & any time AFTER 10.45 (maybe slightly earlier) .....the 2nd appointment I was given, but was way t ill to attend was at 11 a.m, so the clinic does run later
& I totally understand what you are saying re wasted appointments costing money etc, & last minute cancellations aren't really acceptable, you ARE right, but I didn't actually get much notice of the appointment..I only received the letter last Saturday & have been ringing frequently during the course of the day Monday onwards
Had I had 2 weeks or more notice, then DH could of taken a day off, so it wouldn't of been an issue.......though as relevant a side note, its a known fact that people with ME & FM really struggle healthwise on a morning, so early appointments in another town are kind of missing the point anyway........that said, I personally get up at stupid o'clock, so as to be well enough to take DD to School...but they don't know that 
& whoever said about the "automated" service (sorry 
you are on "the next page" & too brain dead right now to hold that much info right now) thats exactly what DID wind me up, NOT the Woman I finally got to speak too.....after trying all week & getting a looped recored message telling me that extension was engaged(
like thats not a bl@@dy wind up 
)
the reason she wasn't allowed to give me a later appointment was because it would mean taking one the following week....which I have no problem with...but that takes me outside their target time, & the automated system would flag it up & they get into trouble.....so instead of a patient going a couple of days past the target date, & being quite happy about that......they have to go back to the referring Specialist via the GP (not even sure my GP can deal with this one), which could take MONTHS :(
Interesting pascoe28 I've not looked much at any of the NHS reforms blurb, as got to admit in my situation it scares the hell out of me.....all I keep thinking is, I hope Claire Raynor keeps to her word & comes back & HAUNTS the B@$T@£D
though looking at that, & seeing all your other YABU replies makes me wonder IF we've perhaps been the trial for some bits of the reforms, as I genuinely didn't realise that the choose & book scheme wasn't National 
....
perhaps we ARE spoilt around here then , because hospital referrals mean we get a letter with a password inviting you to ring the appointments line, with a list of clinics & Doctors serving them to choose from, you can even look them up online to see wait times, performance etc etc, though generally I just go for our local hospital as its easier with DD & School.......sadly this particular clinic doesn't run from there
& to the people who mention our "free" NHS etc...I too TOTALLY agree that we DO pay for it.....& when working, which I have done full time all my life until taking ill, I probably DID pay more into that particular pot too
I don't see why that would be so hard to believe some people do, reasonably high earners with packages including healthcare insurance etc ARE going to be paying a lot into a pot they aren't going to be taking much out of
Still a bit [shocked] that some of you can't see that not EVERYONE can arrange alternative childcare at relatively short notice, not everyone has family nearby, & some of us have friends who all WORK......& where as I'm more than happy to ask another Mum to take DD(as someone suggested I wasn't) to make this appointment it would mean asking them to get up much earlier than they would normally need to....fine in an emergency situation, I don't doubt they would help, (as I would & have done myself)but I wouldn't take the P by asking that of someone when asking for a more convenient appointment time....or even more notice so DH can help is surely more appropriate