"Medical care good. Admin inefficient,..."

What I liked

The procedures to remove my 88 year old mother's cataracts was carried out satisfactorally- the pre-operative assessment, admission to the ward and care on the ward was faultless and met our expectations for treatment in hospital.

What could be improved

Following an appointment two days after the treatment my mother was told to go to the eye clinic reception desk and make an appointment for 4-5 weeks time. She was told that it would arrive by post. After 2 weeks I rang the eye clinic to check if one had been made. No-one was able to help. I was told to contact the ward. They referred me back to the eye clinic. Each department told me to tell the other that it was not their responsibility. The supervisor I asked to speak to was unhelpful stating that I should know that they were miles away from the ward which I consider unprofessional but did say that they would sort the problem out and ring me back. This they failed to do so the next day I rang again and was assured an appointment would arrive by post. A week later and we were still waiting. I rang again and this time I was put in touch with the secretary of a consultant who was excellent and had an appointment arranged immediately. This pèrson was polite, efficient and highly organised.

This experience indicates serious weaknesses in the organisation and management of some departments in this hospital. A routine follow-up appointment 4-5 weeks after cataract surgery should be a simple uncomplicated procedure for most straightforward cases. My impression is that the administrative staff in the eye clinic were incompetent and unhelpful.

Anything else?

Unfortunately an experience such as this, however isolated it may be, does affect your opinion of the hospital in general and you begin to wonder if the poor organisation and management is a feature of other departments.