To be a no show?

[TackyJewellery]

I finally got an outpatients appointment at my local hospital for an ongoing health issue, 18 months after I was first referred.

The thing is, because of a perfect storm of lots of complicated and boring logistical reasons, it's impossible for me to attend the appointment at the given time and date.

I've been trying to ring them every day this week since I got the letter, to tell them I can't make it. Each time I've been held in a queue for 45 mins to an hour before I either have to hang up to go to my next work meeting, or I automatically get cut off.

I rang the hospital switchboard and asked to be put through that way. I got someone's mailbox and couldn't leave a message because the mailbox was full.

The appointment is today. I've been on hold for half an hour and I'm 13 in the queue. I have a client meeting at 11.

I'm just going to have to not turn up and look like an NHS time-wasting no-show aren't I?

Didn't you have choose and book? I have just been given an appointment for next February. I'm hanging on to it until mid-January, even though my existing problem has cleared up just in case it flares up again. However, if it doesn't I'll go back on choose and book to cancel it and free up a quick appointment for someone else going through the choose and book system.

Or you could ring PALS at your hospital to complain that you can't get through to let them know you're failing to attend and wasting an appointment. How long have you known you couldn't make the appointment?

If the appointment is today you will likely go down as a "did not attend" anyway - even if you get through as it would not be possible to offer the appointment to someone else at this point.

I would get on to PALS though as it is likely you will not be reallocated another appointment as you didn't show up and will otherwise need rerefering from your GP.