My mum is 80 and has cataracts. One cataract was operated on last September.
There had already been a fiasco with the private provider in the North West of England who didn’t correspond with my mum adequately.
We turned up to an appontment assuming it was the operation, whereas it was a pre-op. We didn’t receive a letter to tell us what kind of appontment it was.
Receptionist airily - “Head office is a bit useless and don’t always send letters out. Sometimes they arrive after the appointment”
LIVID.
The second cataract operation scheduled for later that year was cancelled.
They have actually sent my mum a letter this week - miracle - which is confusing. I can’t get over to my mum’s to look at the letter right now.
Wait times on the phone line are over 90 minutes…how does someone on a low income with data only mobile plans actually afford this ?!
My Mum gave me permission to deal with them during complaint one last year. I emailed the muppets yesterday and chased again today. I’ve got very little confidence in the provider.
Can I ask the NHS trust she’s under - Warrington and Halton - to change the private provider to the excellent one in Manchester which treated my partner for cataracts.
The NHS is by no means perfect, but i can’t believe how much these private providers are taking the piss, treating patients like shit and charging over the odds.
I had a hideous experience with a private provider in Manchester for some gynaecological investigations. I actually heard a trainee somographer looking at the screen and a part of my uterus ask the person doing the sonogram “is that really bad”. I went ballistic at the company over that.
thanks for any advice you can give.