Must share with you the farce that is "NHS choose and book"

[Avocets]

Called this morning to make my choice (hahahahahahahahaha) of provider and appointment time, armed with unique reference number and password.

What a surprise to be told that they are experiencing an "unusually high volume of calls at this time" and would I call back later or try on line.

Undaunted, I visit their website and punch in my details. Asked to "choose" my provider, I discover, unsurprisingly (and with some relief, given that I am somewhat ill-equipped to make a meaningful choice) that there is only one provider for this routine eye visit, the local clinic, which is as it should be ..... So excitedly, I click to make my online appointment, but what's this? Another message: "there are no appointments available at the present time - please click here if you would like your chosen provider to contact you with an appointment time" - so - eerrrr. no change basically - all this does is introduce a hefty dose of cynicism and irritation at the farcical and mind bogglingly inappropriate use of the language of choice.

So in a nutshell you're saying they are busy at the moment?

I think this is usually the case with non urgent procedures

My DH needed a small cyst removing from his eyelid and the choose and book said the nearest appointment was June...which is fair enough really as it's not urgent.

I don't think OP's point is that they are busy but that what is the point fanfaring "choose and book" when there is no choice (only being one provider) and you can;t book (because they don't have any available slots).

I agree if they are going to have a system like this it should be able to distinguish between where there IS a choice and appts availble.

Personally I have always got my GP to choose and have been rung by NHS with appointment suggestion so its never been an issue for me.

It was full when I rang/went on-line too

So they rang me, 3 times in 30 minutes (same lady) offering me 4 appointments (3 on one day & 1 the day before that)

I explained (politely - even the 3rd call) I was abroad those days

Then to be told because I had refused 4 appointments I would be referred back to the GP as I obviously didn't want the appointment

We met "choose and book" when the GP just told us when DDs appointment was, having, well, chosen and booked it himself, with no recourse to me, even though I was sitting right there beside him. It was of course the most inconvienient time he could possibly have picked, so when we got home I changed it online which didn't work, but looked as if it had worked Cue snotty letters about missed appointments costing the NHS money and how selfish we were to miss it, this then automatically cancelled the actual appointment I'd made, and it took six months to get it sorted out, by which time DDs eyesight had deteriorated even further :( It was a fucking nightmare from start to finish. It's like everything else in the NHS, if it worked how it was supposed to, it would be lovely, but it doesn't, and they place the blame on the patient and never admit their precious system might be wrong

worra was that a chalazion cyst? how easy was it? don't mind waiting but mine is quite unsightly and irritating.

I chose and booked my hip surgeries, it was brilliant. I did my research beforehand into what I needed and managed to get myself in to see one of the top consultants in the country, at the hospital I wanted. Did it all over the phone as well, they were really helpful.

Seeing the consultant privately, which would have been my next option, would have cost a small fortune (literally) so I felt really lucky to have been able to do it for free.

I did have to wait an extra 3 months on top of the usual waiting time for a first appointment (and all my general waiting times between appointments/operations were longer) but I really did have a choice and was able to utilise it to great advantage.