"Almost empty waiting room"

I am sorry that you were disappointed in not seeing the surgeon you anticipated seeing and you were not informed about the reason for his/her absence. However, we cannot guarantee that patients will always see the same personnel; the surgeon you mention may not have been available to see you for a variety of reasons (confidential matters, leave, being called away to an emergency, workload etc). In such circumstances, it would be appropriate for the surgeon to delegate the review to another colleague, rather than you experiencing a delay in being seen.

In order to ensure continuity of care, we have robust clinical systems in place, however it would be reasonable for a doctor (who may have not met you before) to seek information from you or to update our clinical records on any changes to your health status.

As Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a teaching hospital it is inevitable that patients will be seen by doctors in training. However, we wish to assure you that such doctors are trained under the supervision of their consultant; if they have any concerns they can call upon their supervisor for guidance and support.

I hope that this explanation has resolved your concerns and offer our apologies for any upset that this situation may have caused to you.

Kind regards