Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

nhs choose and book system

48 replies

southeastastra · 09/05/2008 12:55

is rubbish. spent ages selecting hospitals etc then told: there are no appointments.

so ring the number, where they have no appointments either. they will get hospital to call me within 2 weeks!

this is taking so long to sort out. i want to cry.

OP posts:
Highlander · 09/05/2008 13:45

it should be done within your GP's surgery?

Original poster
southeastastra · 09/05/2008 13:49

the dr gave me a referral letter, i have to do all the booking myself. i don't know why they don't do it direct anymore.

OP posts:
DarrellRivers · 09/05/2008 13:49

new methods
same pain

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 09/05/2008 13:52

Yes tis a farce. I tried to choose and book an appointment for dd. None available - called consultants secretary who told me that they weren't booked as such, just blocked. So she had to unblock an appointment and book it for me. What is the point?

tortoiseSHELL · 09/05/2008 13:53

It's crap isn't it. Ds2 needed a referral to the local eye hospital (Bristol) - we live about 2 miles from it. So GP said very scathingly 'in the good old days I could just have done it now, but in these days of technology you are able to CHOOSE to have an appointment there...' (she REALLY hated the system). So had to then wait a further half hour till receptionist was ready, sat with her for half an hour while computer system refused to co-operate, eventually she gave up, said 'I'll phone you this afternoon, we can do it over the phone'. She phoned (5 mins before I had to leave to pick kids up from school), computer still playing up, AT LAST it worked, and bloody eye hospital wasn't an option, was given the option of going to Stroud - 25 miles away....so she went off, asked GP what to do, GP booked us in in the normal way by phoning them up!

But it's progress so it must be good!

DarrellRivers · 09/05/2008 13:56

Adds 4-5 mins onto a consultation-would so much rather spend that time talking to the patient about the reason they've come
And then, can't even get an appointment straight away, you will be phoned back in 2 weeks is admin speak for we are fiddling our waiting lists [ggrrrrrgh]
Choice
most people want to go local as well

Original poster
southeastastra · 09/05/2008 13:56

it's so irritating i think they just want us to go private .

and why will it take two weeks for them to ring me? fgs

OP posts:
DarrellRivers · 09/05/2008 13:57

SEA, because they don't want their waiting lists to go beyond a certain number of weeks.
You are on the waiting, waiting list if you see what i mean

bigknickersbigknockers · 09/05/2008 13:59

DH had this problem about a year ago. He was referred to a consultant and when he rang choose and book the computers were "down" and as it was a Friday they said to call back next tuesday. He called back on the following tues day and guess what, the computers were still "down". They said the hospital would get in touch within 2 wks but they didnt. So he rang choose and book again and this time the computers were working but we had wasted almost 3 weeks for nothing.
VERY ANNOYING

Original poster
southeastastra · 09/05/2008 14:00

it's getting me down and i only have a minor problem, feel so sorry for people with probs that really need sorting out quickly.

OP posts:
Original poster
southeastastra · 09/05/2008 14:07

choose and book seems very flawed to me. did he get an appointment soon after booking bigknickers?

OP posts:
Milliways · 09/05/2008 19:34

The GPs hate it! I had trouble getting DS an Orthpaedic appt a few months ago, and had to go back to the GP to re-input it as urgent. Then I had 2 bookings on the system & they kept telling me I had not booked one!

Once I got an appt with a long waiting time, I got the C&B people to give me the hospitals own booking line, and you can keep calling for cancellations.

In the end though, as we were soo worried, we paid for a private consulation with the consultant we were waiting for on the NHS, and he put DS to the top of his NHS list and had him in the MRI scanner & results back all within a week of the private consultaion!

Joke isn't it

Original poster
southeastastra · 09/05/2008 22:31

it sucks, they should get rid of it

OP posts:
Original poster
southeastastra · 23/05/2008 17:03

oh surpise surprise two weeks are up and no call

OP posts:
Lubyloo · 23/05/2008 17:10

Same thing happened to me Southeastastra. Choose and book online said no appts. Rang them up and they said they would write to the hospital and I would hear in two weeks. I kept getting reminder letters saying that I hadn't booked my appt and kept ringing them up to have them say that I would hear from the hospital soon.

Four months later I eventually rang the hospital direct to discover that they had never received the referral! If I were you I would contact the hospital or consultant's secretary direct and then go back to your GP if they haven't got your referral.

In principle choose and book seems like such a good idea......

Original poster
southeastastra · 23/05/2008 17:14

four months! oh no.

so i can contact the department directly? wish i'd done that earlier now.

OP posts:
Lubyloo · 23/05/2008 17:34

You should be able to ring the appointment line direct. I got the number from my GP but you can probably get it from the hospital switchboard. However, they simply advised me to speak to the consultant's secretary which I did and she was great and sorted it all out for me. Do you know the name of the person you have been referred to?

Original poster
southeastastra · 23/05/2008 17:42

i don't have a name, just a choice of hospitals but i've found the number of the hospital main switchboard so i'll try that i suppose on tuesday.

really feel for pensioners who have to deal with this.

OP posts:
Lubyloo · 23/05/2008 17:58

I would call your GP if I were you. He/she will be able to tell you the name of the consultant and then you can contact their secretary directly. Or, they may be able to advise you of the best thing to do.

My four month delay seems to have caused some damage to my heart ECG in December at the doctor's was normal but when I finally saw the cardiologist last month a subsequent ECG was abnormal and suggested my heart was enlarged.

Original poster
southeastastra · 23/05/2008 18:03

ok i'll contact my dr first.

that's awful lubyloo, what do they do for that?

did anyone apologise to you for the wait?

OP posts:
Lubyloo · 23/05/2008 18:05

No apology as a "system error".

Not sure what they can do. I have had a barrage of test done and have an appointment next month for the results.

Original poster
southeastastra · 23/05/2008 18:09

hope it goes ok for you.

someone is responsible for the system though aren't they.

OP posts:
Original poster
southeastastra · 09/06/2008 20:01

i made an appointment finally online two weeks ago, still no confirmation letter. would they send one, or do i have to yet again call them.

OP posts:
emma1977 · 09/06/2008 20:54

I'm a GP and I loathe C&B with a passion.

Yet another shit money-wasting government initiative, thinly veiled as 'choice' when it is anything of the sort.

A waste of money.
A waste of time in consultations when I would rather be talking to my patients.
A waste of my paient's time in trying to book a bloody appointment.

Progress? Bah!

Original poster
southeastastra · 09/06/2008 21:18

so do i have to call them to make sure it's booked emma? really not happy with this runaround i'm getting.

OP posts: