"Honestly just awful."

This hospital makes me want to scream and pull hair out. Have been waiting for a check up on a ruptured ovarian cyst and endometriosis since December, got a text this morning saying I had an appointment that I didn’t even know had been made. Have received no letters, the text didn’t say what department it was with or what it was even for, and when I phoned to find out I was on hold for 20-odd minutes after it said I would be on hold for 9. I also got into first place in the queue and then somehow got bumped back down to third???? When someone did finally answer I got passed around to about 4 different people and departments and they couldn’t even find a record of my appointment on the system. A waste of my time. I have been calling and calling since December for my check-up but no one answers or the number doesn’t work. I haven’t received any letters from anybody, and when I call another department or reception to try and get put through to gynaecology the gynaecology department still doesn’t answer. The past 3 times I’ve been to Northwick Park I sat around waiting until about 9-10pm (one day after having arrived at 9 am for my appointment which I was guaranteed was at 11 am, only got seen at half 2 despite being sat there longer than the others in the waiting room) just for them to look at my blood test and ultrasound results. They wouldn’t let me leave incase I needed to be checked in, and they wouldn’t let me drink or eat anything the entire time, not even water, FOR ABOUT 12 HOURS!!!! I understand this is protocol, but that’s not supposed to extend past 4 hours so I have been told by other healthcare providers. You know, dehydration and all. This hospital is a hairs width away from being as bad as the government hospitals in South Africa, and if you have any idea what government hospitals in South Africa are like you’ll know that is the furthest thing away from a compliment. To give you an idea, I knew a man who had to have more of his leg amputated due to unsanitary operating facilities and his contraction of gangrene. That’s what I’m comparing you to, I’m comparing you to hospital hell. I would rather continue being sick than go to Northwick Park again.