"Making a cardiology appointment"

I rang the Cardiology department because I was due a routine heart check up in 2024 and never received an appointment letter. I explained this very politely to the person on the phone and said I might have been forgotten. They were quite curt and rude and said I hadn't been forgotten, there was a waiting list and it was a very long one. I was surprised that there was a waiting list even for appointments. I said Gosh since when? And they said since COVID. I actually had a check up in 2022 with no problem but I didn't say anything. They said they couldn't tell me when I might get an appointment and that was the end of the conversation.

I know it's not that person's fault that there's a waiting list but it's not mine either. I was perfectly nice and polite to them as I always am to NHS staff as I know how hard they work and am grateful for their care. It's upsetting to have a congenital heart defect and suddenly be told the care you've always had is stripped away and you're on your own basically. That information they gave me and the way they spoke to me, as if I was ridiculous for expecting an appointment, made me go away and cry for a bit. That person could have spoken to me in a much nicer way and offset some of the unwelcome information they were giving me.

Thank you for listening.