"208 days waiting for a gastroenterology appointment"

I received a letter form the Gastroenterology department that was written on the 19th February this year, informing me of my test results from a scan on the 24th December 2014. I was informed that I would be seen in the near future in order to discuss my results and how I would manage the condition I was diagnosed with. I was also informed that I would need to better manage my diabetes control however this letter gave me absolutely no advice on what this means or how to achieve this - The comment was written by them despite the fact that this department knows very little about my diabetes control.

In May I contacted the outpatients booking centre at Queen Alexandra Hospital and informed them that I had not received an appointment (their website states that patients will wait 24 days for an appointment). I was informed that an appointment would be sent to me in the post. Today (154 days later) I called again to be told that an appointment had not been made and that I would need to wait a further 54 days until I could be seen. In total, since the letter was written, this is a wait time of 208 days which is completely unacceptable.

The condition that I have been diagnosed with affects my Type 1 diabetes on a daily basis and can cause me to become very unwell, not only affecting me physically but also emotionally. There has been no communication from the Gastroenterology department to the diabetes department that I have been made aware of and I had to take it upon myself to inform my diabetes team of this new diagnosis and make appointments to discuss this with them.

The diabetes team have been able to help me as much as they can, however the Gastroenterology team have made no attempt to contact or see me, they have not helped me in any way in the management of this new condition and as a result my symptoms are worsening whilst I struggle to manage the condition alone.

As a patient who has been seen in Queen Alexandra hospital on a regular basis for the last 13 years I feel very let down and disappointment at the lack of communication, organisation and care I have received in recent months.