"Frustrated at lack of communication"

I have a bilateral meniscal tear and have accordingly been having physiotherapy through the Hammersmith and Fulham Musculoskeletal Service; after two months I had seen little change and therefore wanted to seek a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.

Consequently I contacted my local GP surgery, Park Medical Centre, to make an appointment, and after informing them that I would prefer a time that fitted around my education, I was offered an appointment at Parkview Centre for Health and Wellbeing.

At this appointment I was told that I could not in fact be referred by the GP there as the request had to be made through my own GP, despite this not being mentioned when I booked the appointment. I was therefore advised to book an appointment at Park Medical Centre which I duly did. However at this appointment I was told that it was the referral could only be obtained via the Musculoskeletal Service, and that I should arrange another appointment with my physiotherapist.

Having done this, at my next physiotherapy appointment I was told that the physiotherapist I was having sessions with could also not make the referral, but that if I made another appointment at Parkview Centre for Health and Wellbeing, this time with the physiotherapist there, I ought to be able to get the referral for to an orthopaedic surgeon from them.

I returned from this appointment to be told that they were also unable to make the required referral, but that if I made yet another appointment with the physiotherapist at Charring Cross, they in turn may be able to send me to an orthopaedic surgeon.

In total this will lead to me having had to attend five appointments just to get one referral, which seems to me to be singularly inefficient and a waste of valuable resources, especially at a time when the NHS is under exceptional pressure.

The fact that I have had to take up so many people's time has left me feeling frustrated at lack of communication as to the procedure to go through to get a referral, as well as wondering if there might not be a more efficient way for patients to be referred that freed up appointments for patients that needed them.