"Poor Administration"

This hospital may be good for emergencies but for planned operations, it is in crisis. Although the Consultants are caring, the procedures used for booking planned operations show that the hospital cannot cope with their workload. Patients are brought in for pre-assessment and Consultant led consent appointments when no dates have been agreed for the operations, and it is unlikely that the operation will take place for months. This feels unsafe as patients' health can change before the operation is even scheduled.

When trying to discuss this with someone, telephones are never answered or you are put through to the wrong department and talking to someone who does not deal with your procedure. This is totally frustrating and unacceptable for a hospital of this size.

If you think that PALS will help you, think again. All you will get is a patronizing woman telling you waiting a long time for an operation is normal practice at this time of the year and what she would expect. According to PALS, Consultants don't understand how the waiting list works, so they can't help giving out the wrong information!

Considering my referral was made by my Rheumatologist in March 2019, I had hoped I wouldn't be affected by the Winter crisis, although there appears to be a whole year Winter crisis at this hospital now. I also hoped that the Consultant would understand their own waiting lists and be the ones making decisions about their lists, not a booking or bed manager.

You are directed to PALS if you have a concern, so I would expect the PALS team to listen to your concerns not be patronizing to you and dismissive of your comments. I believe a 32-week wait from referral without any sign of treatment taking place, is a genuine concern that PALS should listen to.