AIBU to be frustrated about this mystery NHS appointment?

[jojojoeyjojo]

Both my teen DS and I are currently undergoing medical investigations and been referred to secondary care. I had a random text 3 days ago from hospital Trust advising when i came for my appointment to not use car park as gets too busy. I had no knowledge of any appointment. Then Friday another text ‘reminding’ me of forthcoming appointment on Sunday morning. Again have had no appointment letter for either me or DS and nothing on NHS app. Tried calling the phone number within text multiple times…never any reply and switchboard puts you through to same line. So DS and i are both going to have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning where i assume the appointment is to try and work out who the appointment is for, what it is…i assume is a scan…and where. If its for a scan this could be at a different hospital which ive been to for scans before. It just all seems so inefficient and frustrating and im sure contributes to missed appointments. Surely there is a better way..

Something similar happened to me during COVID. A letter came from my local hospital, apologizing for the delay in sending an appointment through, due to COVID.

I was not on a waiting list for any investigation or treatment. The letter didn't say what department or clinic it was from, and there was no name or contact details. My GP surgery knew nothing about it.

In the end I ignored it, never did find out what it was about

It's very frustrating when the system goes wrong like this. Hopefully you will get it sorted.

Hopefully you will be able to find out what it's for.

If you have access to NHS app youay be able to see if it is for you on there?

Is a Sunday appointment plausible?

She covers that in the OP.

Could be. I had an MRI on a Sunday recently.

I wouldn't bother going to the hospital if I'd only had a random text and no details of the actual appointment. Why would you?!

Have you tried googling the number you’ve been given to see if that gives any clues?

Don’t ignore. Perhaps a letter has gone missing, I had three letters out of the blue with short notice apts. I had been referred a long time prior for something and now assume someone had reviewed the list and brought my investigation forward, marked them urgent due to the long wait and added a CT scan to be safe.

Yes, sunday mornings are very popular for scans.

We are used to random texts and turning up at the hospital to ask where we should go and who we were seeing. It was even more complicated when my mother was alive because I dealt with her appointments too so we didn’t know who was being summoned. We once had a text when we were on holiday reminding us of an appointment that day. We had received no prior communication about it. If you can use the NHS app things do seem to be better.

I have loads of hospital appointments but the texts I get always detail my name, which hospital, department and time. Surely all hospitals could do that? It seems ridiculous to send insufficient information.

@endofthelinefinally exactly this! If they are going to send texts why not include all the details so if you dont get the letter through the post you still know where exactly to go etc
Im 100% sure its genuine..i know several people, including my late father, who had scans on Sunday mornings…i think hospitals are trying to cope with backlogs etc. Also my son and I are both waiting for appointments/scans. My best bet is that its a scan for DS so we’re heading off shortly to main general hospital and hopefully will be mystery solved!

My texts from the local NHS trust always include all the relevant details. I can’t imagine why others wouldn’t.
I’d think mistake/glitch.

Quite a few depts don't use the app yet. I got a letter out of the blue, for a appointment I cannot attend in a hospital I don't want. So I phoned and changed the location and the date. Work for them, work for me.

Such a waste of resources. They have my number, my email, but they send letters, and pre-book appointments which you then have to change.

Whatever happened to the promised choose and book. You get a link, go to a site, and book you own appointment. Some depts do it, so it's not impossible. And apparently you have to ask your GP to refer in a certain way, why, why can't the default be electronic/digital. Bloody NHS.