Attended minor injuries last week where I had an xray to show that I had a small fracture. A referral was made to the fracture clinic. I received a phonecall the next day from the Ulster hospital fracture clinic where an appointment was made for me.
I attended my appointment today. I checked in when I arrived for my 2.30pm scheduled appointment. However, the waiting time was way over what would be considered acceptable as I wasn't called until around 3.40/3.45pm. At one point I even had to ask the admin staff if I was definitely in the right place because of how long I had been waiting. I was told I was but sometimes the clinic "runs behind".
When I got in to see the Dr all I was told was a repeat of what minor injuries told me...that I had a small fracture and it would heal on its own. This 100% could have been a phonecall and it was completely unnecessary to make an appointment for me for this. I had to take an afternoon off work to sit in a waiting area for an appointment that was over an hour late for something that could have been done on the phone. This is hugely disappointing and not only do I feel this has wasted my time but also NHS time.
Perhaps you can look at your appointment systems and start to do some telephone follow ups for cases like mine.
"The appointment could have been a phone call"
About: The Ulster Hospital / Fracture Clinic The Ulster Hospital Fracture Clinic Newtownards BT16 1RH
Posted by ccc23. (as ),
Do you have a similar story to tell?
Tell your story & make a difference
››
Responses
See more responses from Judith Cinnamond