About inflexible NHS appointments?

[RedLemonadeNTaytos]

I’m willing to be told AIBU if there are any NHS hospital staff that know better than me, but I am SO frustrated today with the attitude of the guy I just spoke to in the ultrasound department and need to get some perspective.

GP referred me for a scan due to heavy periods & bleeding between periods. I got an appointment within a month but the day before it I was ‘pinged’ by Track & Trace. I phoned the appointments line & the hospital switchboard repeatedly that day and the day of the appointment to tell them I couldn’t make it l, but never got any answer. I also sent an email to the generic appointments address. I think I tried the phone about 30 times, though! (Luckily I obeyed T&T, as I did actually have covid).

Anyway, called GP to explain and ask to be re-referred. Letter came through 3 weeks later with an appointment time but it’s on the first day of my new job. Not ideal, in fact a massive pain, as I am attending a large staff meeting as their new manager in the morning, then going on an expensive and non refundable bit of training in the afternoon.

Finally got through to hospital on the fourth day of trying the ever ringing line, hoping to rearrange l, and was told because I had ‘DNA’ one appointment, this was all they could offer me, they couldn’t give an alternative date, and I will need to go back to my GP to ask to be re-referred, but they may NOT offer me an appointment because I have ‘failed to attend’ two appointments.

I wasn’t expecting to be given any date or time I fancied, just an alternative to my first day in a new job. It just seems so bureaucratic and time wasting, and the reasons the guy on the phone gave were jumbled and didn’t make sense and he was really bloody rude!

Why is the system so inflexible?

I would actually complain in this case send proof of your emails and phone records to both the department and the practice manager at your g.p surgery.
You did not simply not attend you tried to cancel the first ap and rang about the second one.
Actually firstly I would try again you may get through to someone more reasonable and if they don't help tell them you are putting a complaint in.

You can pay privately and book at a convenient time but free healthcare can’t be as flexible due to the sheer number of people using it. We are very lucky to have it.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

You can pay privately and book at a convenient time but free healthcare can’t be as flexible due to the sheer number of people using it. We are very lucky to have it.

I wouldn't say we are 'lucky' as it's not actually 'free', is it?

The system needs an overhaul as it's not fit for purpose.

YANBU. There are far too many stroppy NHS admin staff who are just being awkward for the sake of it. My OH has recently experienced similar with an oncology consultant appointment. It was for a phone consultation, but the oncologist didn't ring at the appointed time (or anywhere near it). The "appointment" was 10.30 in the morning, but she didn't call. OH phoned her secretary at 11.30 to be told "you're next", but still nothing. He phoned again at 12.30 to say he had to go to a meeting at 2.00 but the secretary said she'd definitely call before then. But nothing. There was a missed call on his mobile at 4.30! The next day, he phoned to get it rearranged, but they said it'd be another 3 weeks because he'd "failed to attend". The appointments clerk wouldn't listen to reason. So he called the secretary and gave her both barrels when she said she couldn't do anything and it was the appts clerk who made appts. Funnily enough, after giving the secretary a piece of his mind, an appointment miraculously appeared a few days later and the oncologist apologised for missing the first appointment and for the appointment clerk attitude. It really pays to complain!

YANBU. You’re not taking the piss, there is one date that really wasn’t suitable and the appointment was arranged for that day. It’s unfortunate but that’s that!

Goodness it makes our bending over backwards to accommodate women (and still being told that we aren’t doing enough) in midwifery laughable.

YANBU in this circumstance (half expected you to say, I can only do Friday after 3pm or some crap like that). No wonder there is so many missed appointments!

Obviously all the people voting YABU are all NHS appointment clerks

It needs a major overhaul and we need to stop worshipping a broken system. My dd has been sent an appointment for her first day at a new senior school. They won’t/can’t change it. It’s ridiculous to suggest that doctors’ time is more valuable than other people’s time. My db is a teacher and his time is also valuable. We need everyone in society - that’s how it works.

I think the staff just get frustrated with all the bullshit excuses they get. They have no way of telling the genuine cases from the people who just make up a reason for being late or not turning up because they couldn't be arsed.

I agree the self-isolation absence shouldn't count against you but can understand why they would be reluctant to reschedule your latest appointment, it's not their fault you start a new job that day. You just need to decide which is more important - the job or your health.

Yanbu and I've faced this before. Had a scan appointment on the same day that I was having surgery in a different hospital 🤣🤣 first guy I rang was a pig and basically told me that it was tough luck for me. I rang back in the afternoon and spoke with a lovely woman who rearranged my appointment.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

You can pay privately and book at a convenient time but free healthcare can’t be as flexible due to the sheer number of people using it. We are very lucky to have it.

Sounds like you're an NHS employee!

Re-arranging an appointment when the first was cancelled or didn't go ahead for genuine reasons is entirely reasonable.

Putting someone down as FTA when they made every effort to cancel the appointment is the fault of the NHS, not the patient, and the NHS should be flexible to deal with THEIR mistakes/inflexibilities.

It's because the system is so stretched. It's awful but there really aren't spare appointment slots kicking about so in this case your new job will have to be flexible. It's a hospital appointment, people know they take priority because of how difficult it is to get one. I recently had a colposcopy appointment (arranged for 6 months) that fell on the same day as the funeral of a close relative. I nearly had to miss the funeral as the next appointment they could offer me was two months later and I wasn't willing to wait that long. Fortunately a lovely lady on reception took my number and got me a cancellation so I didn't have to make a difficult decision, but I do appreciate how lucky I was (NHS staff myself, people can be arsey and awkward but in general it's a fault of the system).

It's wrong you've been recorded as a DNA though, I'd complain about that.

@romdowa

Yanbu and I've faced this before. Had a scan appointment on the same day that I was having surgery in a different hospital 🤣🤣 first guy I rang was a pig and basically told me that it was tough luck for me. I rang back in the afternoon and spoke with a lovely woman who rearranged my appointment.

Exactly, it's down the person. If you get an unhelpful "jobsworth" then you need to try to get someone else, or you need to go down the complaints route.

@ChainJane

I think the staff just get frustrated with all the bullshit excuses they get. They have no way of telling the genuine cases from the people who just make up a reason for being late or not turning up because they couldn't be arsed.

I agree the self-isolation absence shouldn't count against you but can understand why they would be reluctant to reschedule your latest appointment, it's not their fault you start a new job that day. You just need to decide which is more important - the job or your health.

You can't be serious?

If the first appt hadn't been WRONGLY put down as a FTA, the second appointment would have been changed. The jobsworth wouldn't change the second appointment BECAUSE the system was wrong re the first being logged as FTA.

The NHS is entirely at fault here. To suggest someone give up a job is crazy!

I had an appointment last month with ENT to go through some test results, on the day of my appointment my son was ill including a temperature so we had to get him tested and isolate (thankfully negative).
It took me ages to get through to appointments. When I finally got through I was offered the next appointment in January (?!?!), or told to leave my isolating son with someone else so I could attend. Erm, it doesn't work like that and I didn't want to unnecessarily put other people at risk.

In the end had to ring up the consultants secretary and beg for an earlier appointment. I've managed to be moved to end of this month but the fact I had to beg for an earlier appointment was ridiculous. I was following covid rules.

I'm not in the UK but I am actually amazed. You can't choose your own appointment time? They must have loads of people that need to reschedule! If I'm referred to a specialist I can book on the phone, at a pharmacy or on the website. Sounds like they need a system that works better for everyone.

YANBU. It wouldn't be so much of a problem if you could ever actually get through to someone to change or cancel your appointment but in my experience, it's next to impossible. They send out the text messages telling you how much non attendance at appointments costs the NHS but don't actually make a simple and easy way for you to let them know if you can't come!

YANBA.

We had to go in for a second 12w ultrasound as baby wasn't in good position for measurements. Without saying a word to us, the monographer left and came back with an appointment letter for the end of the week when we were away. We asked if anything earlier was available, he came back with another letter with an app in a few days at a different place. Perfect, worked for us.

Until we turned up and were informed that (despite the location in black and white on the letter) our appointment was somewhere completely different. Luckily they managed to fit us in and they were lovely (understood it wasn't out mistake).

However, for our 20 week scan we received the app letter with the location highlighted and a bright yellow note attached with 'PLEASE NOTE THE LOCATION OF THIS APPOINTMENT' as if we'd made the mistake and turned up to the wrong place.

Very passive aggressive for their mistake.

My child was supposed to have a hospital appointment today at 9am. The letter said it would we would get a letter before hand to tell us if it would be telephone or f2f. I'm not sure how the issue could be dealt with over the phone but that's another thread

No such letter arrived and we have had no phone call. I'm fully expecting a letter in the post in a few days telling us we didn't attend and will need to be re-referred. The letter didn't give any phone numbers so we can't even contact them.

I see it all the time at work. We get a letter saying a patient DNA'd and the patient tells us they never received an appointment in the first place. Why is everything done by snail mail in this day and age? That's assuming the letters are sent in the first place 🤔

The NHS is entirely at fault here. To suggest someone give up a job is crazy!

Yeah, only on Mumsnet! 🤣🤣

I really don't have an answer except that this seems to be just the way it is; and sometimes the referral will put you back down 6 months on the list
I suppose this is what happens when you've an over-stretched, over-worked and underfunded NHS.

It's 2021 and time for the NHS to set up an online system for appointment management, like most GP surgeries.

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

It's 2021 and time for the NHS to set up an online system for appointment management, like most GP surgeries.

They do have one in my area for certain referrals so it obviously can be done. Surely it would be more efficient.

Sounds like the problem here is the appointment cancellation system. You haven't DNA'd two. You have cancelled one (admittedly at short notice) and asked to rearrange another with plenty of notice. That's what I would be telling PALS

can understand why they would be reluctant to reschedule your latest appointment, it's not their fault you start a new job that day. You just need to decide which is more important - the job or your health.

I fail to see why it makes any difference if the OP reschedules.
It’s not like the appointment is going to be wasted, it simply gets reallocated to someone further down the list and the OP may just have to wait another few weeks.

OP, perhaps you could contact PALS or in the past we’ve had good results by complaining directly to the hospital.