"Eye clinic bookings"

I had to cancel my appointment for the following day due to having a contagious illness, so I called the number on the letter: an answerphone activated telling me that the extension  number was not available and to leave a message, which I did and hoped it would be actioned promptly.

Well, four answerphone messages later, I decided to call another number for the Booking Team for the same department only to be told I cannot book your appointment, so I will put you through to the extension.  Same response (answerphone was activated again because there were no humans to take the call).  I left the 6th message and held on to speak to the person whom I spoke to minutes before. I explained that I needed to postpone and reschedule rather than be kicked off the list for non-contact or a no-show, which happened a year ago. I was told to provide details and they would take the message to pass onto a colleague who can book it.    

This is absolutely ludicrous because a) they work for the booking team of the number I needed to call, and b) they could not get hold of anybody either! I fail to see why this person could not book an appointment for any eye clinic when they clearly work for the relevant department. I don't think there should be different booking teams for different  clinics in each department: have one booking Team for all eye clinic appointments in this situation!  Make it easier for patients to get through rather than having to call three different numbers in the hope of speaking to a human, not a machine!  

I feel this is where the NHS is going wrong: too many booking teams for individual clinics in each department.  In other words, have just one booking team in each department with one contactable number.   

In an ideal world, do this: one booking team for all eye clinic appointments, one booking team for heart patients, one for kidney (renal), one for liver, one for bloods, one for oncology, one for endocrinology, one for respiratory medicine, and so forth.  Not individual teams for individual clinics in the same department; it is a massive waste of resources and funding for it.

Make it easier for patients because, let's be honest, without patients the hospitals either lose or do not get the required funding.

I also feel that four or five members per booking team per department should be enough.  Simplify it for patients.  Patients do not know the fancy names given for each type of clinic, let's be honest.  They just relate to Eye Clinic, Heart, Kidney, Liver, Orthopaedics, etc.  Making the visits more complicated for patients does not help with their anxiety or distress when dealing with hospitals.  That is a fact.