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Referral 'appointment'

Posted By Ely098234

"Referral 'appointment'"

About: Royal Free Hospital / Gastroenterology

(as a service user),

I received an appointment message about a referral for Colonoscopy but it is not an appointment because at the bottom it is written to not come to the hospital and it is neither a phone call!!! 

What it really means is that the doctor will look at the referral.

This is grammatically wrong cause an Appointment is an arrangement to meet someone at a particular time and place.

I felt confused so I phoned had to wait 45 minutes for someone to attend the call.

I feel it would be best to update your way of communicating urgently.

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Responses

Response from Patient Experience Officer, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 4 days ago
We are preparing to make a change
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 03/09/2025 at 10:17
Published on Care Opinion at 11:31

Dear Ely098234,

Thank you for raising this with us. I agree with you that 'appointment' is not the right word to use in this scenario.

I have spoken with the gastroenterology service manager who also agrees that using the term 'appointment' can be misleading. She said that unfortunately this is how the messages have been set to appear in the NHS App and/or patient portal.

She is not sure how quickly any change can be made, but has said that she will look into the wording of these messages.

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