One a wild goose chase whenever I ring my local hospital.

[Twoweekcruise]

I’ve had various appointments of late and a couple for my son. I appreciate that the NHS is under a considerable amount of pressure but whenever I have to ring my hospital to chase up appointments or get info etc I feel I’m on a wild goose chase to nowhere.
Last week I chased up an appointment for my son as it’s been months since we saw the consultant (was promised an appointment by now). I had the appropriate details in front of me but when I rung the number I got told that department is now out in the community and nothing to do with the hospital, basically, they didn’t want to know. I rung the community number only to be rudely informed that my sons’ referral wasn’t with them and I had to ring the hospital, rung them to be told they couldn’t help as that department wasn’t anything to do with them anymore etc, etc round and round the houses. Eventually told the referral didn’t go through (even though I had a copy of it in front of me) and son is now at the bottom of waiting list!!
Today, I rang the hospital to chase a follow up appointment for myself only to be told that as I was seen (by the NHS) at a local private hospital they couldn’t help me. I’ve rung the private hospital only to be told that the consultant has left and I’ll need to go back to the NHS hospital. FFS it’s driving me insane, all I seem to do is ring around getting nowhere. How frail, old and confused people get on, I do not know!
Is this everywhere or is my local trust just really crap at communication!!

No my local maternity services have been nightmarish. Regular referrals lost, wrong information given that I've then been blamed for, appointments not being booked properly but people hanging up on me when I've tried to query this. The sheer rudeness of reception staff is astonishing. I know it's a tough job but...!

Then when one set of HCPs have decided I've needed an extra test these have come through really quickly. But when I visit to have the actual test the new set of HCPs tell me they don't know why I'm here and it's pointless to have this test / scan / whatever anyway? I'm so fed up with it.

It’s everywhere and I feel your pain. The admin side of the nhs is crap.

Both your issues will be the results of the NHS now having to tender services every few years. In the case of your son, it was probably community paediatrics or dental, and the service it now falls under would have won the tender, which is all well, but transfer of services are rarely well planned and smooth.

In the second case, due to long waits, the ccg or hospital would have outsourced the independent sector to help them meet their target. It sounds like it's bad luck that the consultant would have left and probably not in the best circumstances if it was unplanned.

Unfortunately, the nhs is off its feet and everyone is running around like headless chicken trying to meet targets and follow rules that no-one who works in hospital consider a priority. The nhs has been battered for years now, and this is the outcome.

Hope you do get it sorted though. You are doing the right thing ringing around although you shouldn't have to. If you get nowhere, ring your local ccg.