to rhink the reason why so many NHS appointments are not attended is......

[HookedOnHooking]

People simply cannot get through to cancel or change them.

I have rung over and over and over again and cannot get through. Currently been on hold for 20 minutes.......

ds has a clinic appointment that is constantly cancelled and moved to an appointment time months later. his 3 month follow up will be done at 10 months instead (cancelled twice by the hospital not by me. i am actually expecting this to be cancelled too as we get closer). it will be a bloody miracle if i remember when it is due.

How relevant this thread is. I had a phone call today asking why I didn't attend a scan today. I didn't know about it! Apparently, someone would have phoned me last week and/or left a message. No message left, or letter in the post. I got a little cross that it would be flagged as a did-not-attend, when I didn't know about it!

( about to start a thread on withheld numbers and answering them, which is why I just logged into mumsnet when I saw this thread)

I got a set of two back-to-back hospital appointments for a date I absolutely couldnt make (I was in London for a pre-booked event).

Called the main hospital, got directed to one department, "we cant change it because they must match, you'll need to phone the other one".
Called the other one "we cant change it because they have to match, phone the other one".
Called the first one again, was passed among three departments before finally having someone tell me they'd sort it. Ok, great, we're done.

Then I got a reminder call about my appointment on the original date. Noooo, thats been changed. "Oh, try phoning the consultants PA on x number, but shes gone home now so call tomorrow".
Called her the next day, ok she'll sort it, great.

Then a week later, got a reminder call about the other one in the pair, original date. Noooo, thats been changed.
Call consultants PA again, she claims to know nothing about it but will change it.

Two days after the original appointment date, I got a very snooty letter about my missed appointments, telling me to contact my GPs surgery and they "may" resubmit the request.

I think I'm more annoyed about the appointment slots being unavailable for other patients, I couldnt have done anything more than I did and they were still denied to other waiting people.

coffee could you not have dropped a note through the surgery door?
I dont understand why surgeries cant have an answer machine for appts.
Ours doesnt have an email address.

Some of my colleagues have way too much faith in the postal system. One person needed to contact a patient about a change to their appointment time the following day. She said 'They're not answering their phone, but I'll put a letter in the post first class." This was at 2pm.

My mum received her hospital appointment letter 4 days after it was scheduled.

Lith- even if it arrived the next day, the patient may be at work/out/not go out of room to get the post.
Why not just leave a message on their mobile.

Naty I think the problem was they didn't have an answerphone set up so it would just ring and ring.

YANBU. Not all of them are for these reasons though - some parents/patients just can't be arsed.

I actually did manage to cancel DD's appointment, as we were out of the country for when it was booked. Gave them a call the day the letter arrived, a month in advance of said appointment. Still got a letter stating she has been discharged because she did not attend...so frustrating!

Two of the clinics I attend (I attend most of them!) Ring the evening before to check that you will be attending, strangely I have always been aware of these appointments before they called too - you would think one hospital would have same procedures for all clinics but obviously not, these two are so much more efficient

I'm a dentist so patients ring and make own appointments or chat to receptionist about when they want to come back we never just send out appointments yet are DNA ( did not attend ) rate is still 15% this does not include last minute cancellations we have ansaphone on all night so you could ring at 2am to leave message if you wanted to, we have 2 incoming lines for 3 surgery practice
we send text message reminders 48 hours before

when you ask why it is mostly I forgot, I had something else on, only rarely is it the type of emergency where ringing dentist is last thing on your mind

I can understand appointments being missed when a day and time is just sent to patient with a few days notice but when the patient chooses 4pm on friday afternoon as they finish at 1pm on fridays then still does not turn up it is more mystifying

and don't get me started on those that ring at 2.55 to cancel 3pm appointment as have had cold all week why oh why could I not have had more than 5 minutes notice when you have been off work all week?

I work as a CPN . Out of the last 5 assessments I've been booked in to do, 3 have DNA'd. Our admin staff write to patients asking them to ring us within 7 days to let them know if they still want the appointment or if it's a suitable time or not. People don't bother ringing! So everyone's time is wasted & people wonder why they have to wait 6-8 weeks for an appointment.

On the other side of the coin my DP had an appointment letter for occy health , which turned up on the day of the appointment so yes mistakes do happen.

The patients where I work either phone for their appointment or if they are a short return (less than 6 weeks) they are booked when we see them (I put "Booked and Given" )

Many of them are 65+ so retired but they also have numerous hospital/doctor appointments so sometimes they do forget.
Very rarely it's an emergency like being admitted/spouce admitted.

Usually they forget, get the date or time wrong .
They also turn up late (sometimes very late) assuming that the next patient has turned up early and I've had a psychic experience and know they'll be late (we have to allow 10 minutes which is half their appointment)

Or if they phone to say they;re running late they think it stops time and they can stilll come in. Unfortunately, the next patient might not be there.

Everyone who complains about the 'snotty letter'....what is it that is so ill recieved? How should it be worded?

My DM has Alzheimer's, so remembering appointments or even remembering to open letters is a problem. I asked if I could be sent duplicate letters, but this wasn't possible. It took months for them to agree to tell the friend who takes DM to hospital when these appointments are if she contacted the hospital, before that DM kept missing appointments.

We had someone ring up asking where my grandad was for his appt with the oncologist. They told it was very important as it was for his diagnosis and treatment. Would have been brilliant if he hadn't have been dead for three months!! To be fair they were incredibly apologetic and I feel sorry for the woman who rang, because it wasnt her fault she didnt know.
mistakes happen all over, it just gets so irritating when they accuse you of missing appts when its not your fault. I think if they took a bit of the blame it would help how we feel about it

In my area a lot of appointments are missed because of the shortage of car park spaces. As I looked out of the 7th floor window from my ward I counted 132 cars vying for 1 space.

YANBU. I had to cancel a GP appointment a few months ago and I had to keep hitting redial for over an hour before I finally got through.

Last year I got discharged from hospital appointments for failing to turn up. In fact, I got a letter with an appointment the same day I received it. Called to ask if I could change it, they transferred me to three separate people, the last one of whom said I needed to call a different number. So I did. It was never answered. Tried the switchboard, was told I had to call the department directly. So I emailed. No reply.

Then a week later I got a stropp-o-gram from them saying that as I hadn't turned up, they were discharging me and would tell my GP why. This was after I'd attended every single appointment religiously for the previous two years.

Livid was not the word.

Spongebob - not being funny, but have you read any of the responses on here about people trying to phone and being unable to get through?

I wish the NHS would wake up and start living in the same century as the rest of us...

Actual letters? In envelopes? Put into the post? FFS what a waste of time and money, and then to bleat on about how tight funds are?

I like the systems whereby you get a letter to say you can book the appointment, then you phone book it for a time that's convieient and everyone is happy. Strangely I have never had a problem getting through to hospitals which operate this system.

Even better is when you can book the next appointment in clinic when you are there!

Totally, totally agree. How relevant this is. The WASTE. The paper, the postage.'

Received DD's eye appointment through which I had to change. Four attempts and I was hanging on for ages. Gave up. Tried again this week by going through main switchboard I.e. A sneaky back route.

Also had to change a Paed Consultant appointment. We have waited 6 months for it but given 1 week's notice. More paper wasting.

There has to be a better way.

Not U OP. When I was getting tests for recurrent miscarriage I ended up switching to a pay monthly phone plan because it was costing me so much, spending half the day on hold.

sirsy - yes! I just had one of those. Worked excellently.

I've also gotten letters that state if you do not phone to confirm, they will assume it is cancelled. I immediately phoned to confirm, and went to the appointment. I imagine that system could help with the missing/late letters.

This is all well and good but I don't imagine too many people are going to rock up onto this thread and say 'actually I couldn't be arsed so didn't turn up'.

Some of these situations sound crap and I'm not surprised you're angry and frustrated. But I just don't believe that all of the patients who dna my breast clinic have been due to communication fuck ups. Some are, and we'd give them another appointment. But I bet a significant proportion are forgetfulness and can't be arsed.

We give everyone a second appointment before writing to their gp and discharging them. And I think that's more than fair enough. This is the reason for the 'snotty letter' (which is probably just saying something like 'you have now failed to attend 2 appointments so we are presuming you no longer need the appointment. If this is incorrect kindly contact your gp to be re referred). Do you think we should send out repeat appointments forever just on the off chance there might have been a mistake?