"A broken Service- which must be more expensive"

My son sustained a serious shoulder injury and was seen in A&E- the following day was assessed at virtual fracture clinic at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and asked to attend fracture clinic in person a few days later.

We did this were seen by competent knowledgeable staff and were very happy with the advice we received, however:

Point 1- my son required additional pain killers to over the counter medications. The hospital were not allowed to prescribe as this would mean they would be charged on their budget. We had to make a GP appointment and get a prescription. Whilst we were able to do this easily I was very mindful of how difficult this might be for less able vulnerable members of the community AND that this MUST be a greater cost to the NHS system as a whole- not a seamless service. 

We were required to return to fracture clinic 1 week later. I asked if the Dr we saw would see us again- unlikely was the answer but that all the information would be available in the letter he would write- we were happy with this situation however:

Point 2- At our second attendance at fracture clinic we were informed that due to a new system being introduced no letters were available. Not a seamless service. I have a healthcare background and was able to inform the Dr of what was said at the previous appointment- other less able people may not have been able to do this and this could have been clinically unsafe. We were however happy with the consultation and plan.

Point 3- at the second fracture clinic appointment my son had a 'pre op assessment'. I helped him complete a questionnaire that was not user friendly- he did not understand many of the medical terms- I think this form is meant to be completed with a member of staff not left for the patient to complete- again not a clinically safe situation. The following day we were contacted by phone and told a 'pre op assessment' was required- the same questions were asked over the phone and an appointment made for the GP to take bloods and peak flow. On the day we arrived for surgery there was no pre op assessment available in the notes- the admitting nurse went through the questions for the 3rd time- what a waste of valuable clinical time. and again not a seamless service. It felt like the system was broken and my son was about to have his shoulder reconstructed- this does not fill one with confidence.

Important to add is that every member of staff we came across was lovely, were clearly doing their best under difficult circumstances and were committed to provide high quality care.

I do not wish to raise a complaint about any of these points but I do think it is important to feedback. I don't know how helpful a formal complaint might be- but I do know it would be time consuming for the person who has to investigate it and would detract them from getting on with their primary role. But if these comments can be forwarded to the department lead who might consider them when reviewing services I hope that would be helpful