To think that if you cancel on the day with the NHS, you should be put to the bottom of the list?

[SaltAirAndTheRust]

Unless you have a good reason of course!

I’ve just started and I’m in my first week, in this week we’ve had multiple cancel due to nerves or just not turning up. Seeing the amount of work that gets them to this point, it’s staggering! I just can’t get my head around it

I think you're right because I have only ever had an apology once for a cancelled appt. I was about to board the train on the day & they cancelled because two people on the team were sick - I received effusive apologies for that and they remade very quickly. Quite different from the day surgery that was cancelled (again, in a hospital miles from me) smashing up all the many arrangements that I & my daughter had put in place. The reason? I had to have another procedure first in another hospital, also miles away which no one had ever mentioned to me. Not a single sorry to had. My time (& shredded nerves) is of absolutely no interest to them.
So, yes, patient no shows are bad but I seriously doubt that they are all just slackers who can't be arsed and you can hardly be surprised if it triggers stories like mine & others. For nearly two years I've undergone two cancer investigations, one came to nothing & other was diagnosed & I'm just in the last part of treatment now (I hope🤞). But the endless chopping & changing, cancelled train journeys, cancelled hotel bookings can't have been doing me any good.
I must say that, when it comes down to the actual treatment, everything has been excellent & the staff brilliant. It's just the appointments mechanism that needs a hard look at. A friend of mine had an op cancelled because the surgeon was on holiday - surely his holiday would have been in a diary at the time the date was proposed?
I'll shut up now.

You have no idea why they cancelled.

I know someone who kept getting text messages reminding of hospital that he didn’t know about. Eventually he realised the ‘do not send letters’ option was selected on his records.

We have worked in a profession for over 40 years, where we have to account for all our time and it’s charged to clients, via a minimum chargeable unit of say 6 minutes. I heard constantly, when I was younger:

” Why are u doing x - you are too expensive for that!”

I can assure you, we think all the time about how much other people’s time is per hour!

DH tells his clients to give three times and dates, they can make to see him, and he will make one of them!

Imo, half of patients’ problems with the NHS are, that they are given appointments at no notice, less than 48 hours notice or at times, they can’t make! We don’t get reimbursed for our wasted time, travel costs, hotel costs or sheer stress in getting there - only to have the appointment cancelled at short notice or get there, to be told no doctor is available in the field.

It’s very annoying when you have had to drive over 600 miles, and had to get someone there, with challenging behaviour and disordered sleep, who can just refuse to get up that morning and be very abusive to you - at a time, you told the department all along is too early! (And they of all people should understand just how complex the medical problems and behaviour are!)

excellent idea. I think the problem here is that there are no repercussions for misuse of the service, and too often no value placed on services provided for no direct cost. I know this thread is about appointments processes and responses on both sides of the fence, but I do believe that if there were nominal charges for misuse (including 'can't be arsed' missed appointments) that would tighten up a lot of slack. Ive been a heavy user of NHS services for 30 years now, and my personal experience is that poor use is much more patient side than system side,

I think this part of a wider problem of complacency where many take the Uk free healthcare system for granted. Would this happen, to the level you observe if you had to pay for your appointment and/or treatment.

Similar challenge with GP appointments, time wasters at A & E and calling out an ambulance. One of my friends has re-trained as a paramedic and cannot believe how many time wasters there are. She reckons 6 out of 7 calls are not necessary/emergency situations and most could have been self-managed at home.

Not sure what the answer is!

Having fines or fees for missed appointments....but a list of mitigating circumstances or people who were exempt....would surely add another layer of admin to system that is already struggling to cope?

It's obvious that there are some people who potentially do abuse the system or cba to turn up, but there are multiple reasons in this thread alone, where people couldn't attend for very genuine reasons - not knowing they had an appointment being common!

I've had some appointments that seem to work really well, with a phone call or text reminder few days before to check you are attending. Then other instances where I've cancelled a appointment with plenty of notice and then been put down as DNA. And a wasted apt that I didnt need! So the whole thing is pretty lucky dip whether it works...

God. This is just awful. So sorry you experienced that. Very poor.

I've been marked down as DNA a couple of times. Once when I informed the hospital weeks in advance that I no longer needed the appointment - but they ignored it. Once when I missed an appointment because I turned up on the day I'd booked for, only to find they'd put it in their system as several days before the day I asked for (& yes, I know I was right because they'd confirmed my chosen date, even though they'd put the wrong one in).

Why should I be fined for either of those? That's why it would be unfair - not that unfairness is a bar to implementing something stupid.

I have a friend with cancer at the moment and there is alot of chopping and changing. She’s been made aware that the cancer has spread, but her appointment to discuss ramifications of that has kept changing. She is fortunately in a supportive situation (very capable, has a supportive partner, child is a teen so no last minute childcare for appointments, work have signed her off, hospital is fairly local).

It would also help if there was some communication between departments. DM died in the same hospital where she attended the eye clinic. I was at her house and the phone rang and it was the eye clinic phoning to confirm she would be attending her appointment. I told them no, she'd died and maybe they should update their systems accordingly.

Yes you need to check up and chase them up if you don't get a letter when promised. Husband was told by doctor he'd refer him to hospital. He didn't get a letter so eventually succumbed to my nagging and phoned hospital. They'd never received referral from GP, who eventually admitted he'd forgotten to make the referral!

If I ever need urgent appointment for anything I just phone every now and again asking if they've got any cancellations and I always get an earlier slot.

Now you're just being dishonest 😂

I’ve had this a few times as well, where I used to live the trust were supposed to text you an appointment where you opened a link to say if you could attend. I never received a text, I would get the appointment via letter and spend hours trying to cancel it but no one answered the phone, if you went to the hospital in person they wouldn’t cancel for you as you could only do that by phone.

I once turned up for an operation only to be told I had arrived on the wrong day and as fhe receptionist was ranting at me for wasting NHS resources and being incredibly rude I showed her my letter confirming I had arrived on the correct day, she told me it was still my fault as I should have phoned them. I had phoned them, as I needed to clarify something and I wasn’t informed of any date change during that phone call. I was then discharged from their services and had to be referred again by the GP and have all the tests, consultations etc again.

Taxi?

Which not everyone can afford

Yep. Return trip by taxi to the nearest A&E from where I live is £94.

I was also referred to gastroenterology for a scan in January - I've seen the referral. Gastroenterology have sent a letter to my GP saying they will send me a letter - I've never seen it and I'm currently chasing the secretaries to find out what is in the letter. They don't answer the phone and you have to leave a message. I'd left it this long as I know there are waiting lists and I didn't want to hassle.

Care is non-judgmental based on need so no I don't think that approach is reasonable, multiple reasons for cancelling on the day

Oh, for Christ's sake! How many more times have I got to state that there wasn't one available?

Like a lot of things, people living in London and other big cities simply don't understand the realities of life in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Plenty of places still don't have Uber! In my town, you can be waiting 2/3 hours if you ring for a taxi at busy times. Even the taxi ranks at bus and train stations are often empty and you have to wait ages for one to come.

Doctors have to give 6 weeks minimum notice of any leave planned be it personal or study leave (conferences etc) in order for clinics to be rescheduled or other colleagues asked (if available) to step in.
I am sorry to hear of what you’ve and are going through. Wishing you all the best for a good outcome. x

Yes this is true. However my consultant has had leave approved with 1 weeks notice. The consultants run the place in our trust and if they ask for last minute leave it often gets granted 🤷‍♀️

Wow. I could understand in a family emergency, illness (inc mental health reasons), etc but for no good reason apparent that’s the first I’ve heard of that. I know trusts can vary depending on circumstances beyond general policy. Interesting.

This!