Consultant didn’t call me on Phone appointment

[Catsandcatsallover]

I have a phone consultation appointment today at 12pm.
I understand it could be anytime between like 9am to 4pm however nobody called.
This is appointment I was waiting since April ( first appointment with that department, but was referred there in a past years before and discharged)
I don’t know where to call now, the phone number on the letter is only a general appointment line which shut 3.30pm.
I got no number to that particular department apart from perhaps calling to local hospital however, this trust has 4 hospitals under so the consultant could be in any hospital or even home making phone calls.
Similar happened to me with my other phone appointment few months ago where my usual respiratory consultant failed to called me on the day but I have direct number on that clinic so as contacted them and he called me later saying that he just overlooked my name on his list.
who to call now?

Also I worry that if they did not call today, It looks like failed appointment and I will have to wait again for another 5 months at least..

Goggle the number for one of the hospital switchboards and be asked to put through to the consultants secutery

I callled some appointment line I managed to find, they said they can’t do anything as they are not connected to them. I tried to contact the hospital, the switchboard person said they all gone as it’s Friday!
Also was told I will have to wait again for another appointment for another 5 months as this classes as unfilled, so I have to start form the beginning- go to GP and explain what happened and to be referred again! Fuming really.
I spent the whole day waiting since 9am , shocking …

No that’s not acceptable. Phone again on Tuesday (as Monday is that bloody irritating bank holiday). Ask to be put through to his secretary, explain what happened, and ask why. Insist that you will not wait another 5 months, you want a call next week.
My dh is a Consultant, he would be absolutely mortified if he had missed someone off a clinic.

You could also contact PALS

Do this. And if you get nowhere then contact PALS. Don't be fobbed off and left to wait another 5 months.

We had this a few times with DH's oncologist. We had to go down the PALS route too, it is unacceptable.

Might be worth googling to see if your Trust was affected by this today, the Trusts affected couldn't make any patient calls

Thanks all.
I will contact them on Tuesday morning, this is not acceptable.

Yes, contact your consultant's secretary on Tuesday. Make sure that they have your up to date contact details.

Totally unacceptable. Email PALS.

A similar thing happened to me last week. I emailed PALS in the evening and by the following morning somebody from the department was on the phone to me apologizing profusely. They managed to find another appointment for me in 3 weeks time
although with a nurse rather than the consultant as originally planned. So not a completely satisfactory outcome but better than nothing.

Send an email to the chief executive if you don't hear have any luck with the consultant's secretary.

I hate phone appointments for this reason. Wait by phone for unspecified length of time, fret when no call arrives, have no way of knowing what is going on. At least in a hospital you're in a waiting room and they know you're there.

@handslikebirds they use the Lorenzo system, but wouldn’t the switchboard person tell me this?

@LaurelGrove me too! It’s terrible, you need to wait the whole day , not knowing when they will call!

If anyone has a good solution when it's a child involved I would like to know. Last time DD and I sat in the car outside her school for 3 hours waiting for her doctor to call!

Switchboard person is a low paid person who literally just does switchboard. They likely weren't given any advice on what to tell people beyond being honest with you that at 5pm everyone had gone home.

Consultant secretary on Tuesday, and if no joy then PALS.

Update! They just called!
The consultant apologised and said they had IT issues earlier so they couldn’t contact patients.
thanks everyone.

@handslikebirds you were right..

@Catsandcatsallover glad there was a reason and you weren't forgotten although still rubbish not to get your appointment, hope it's sorted soon. I saw a Trust on Twitter saying they hadn't been able to access any records including patient phone numbers so they couldn't even call patients to let them know systems were down. Nightmare for all involved!!