"Appointment cancelled but patient was not informed."

Due to Covid-19 my six monthly appointment for an eye examination had been delayed by about 7 months, which I completely understand. I received an appointment through the post in September and attended the Opthalmology appointment at Grantham in late November. But I was told by the receptionist that it had been cancelled. I did not cancel the appointment and I had arranged time off from work to attend.

The problem was passed to the senior nurse who was very helpful. She understood my concerns regarding the pressure in my eyes in relation to the the delay to the appointment. She spoke to the ophthalmologist and managed to arrange that I would have some of the tests done that day. But my notes were not available and one of the tests I needed could not be done at Grantham. Her proactive attitude was very much appreciated and meant that at least the day was not wasted.

The senior nurse arranged for the appointment secretary to ring me to arrange for the outstanding test to be done at Louth a week later. I really appreciate the short notice appointment that I received, but more time off work was required.

I understand that in the current situation with Covid-19 it has been difficult for the NHS. When a patient misses an appointment the NHS gets rightfully annoyed and that is something I completely understand. When the situation is reversed I am sure you will understand that it is also annoying. So it is important that staff ensure they keep patients aware of cancellations.

Please pass on my thanks to the senior nurse who was so helpful and to the ophthalmologist for seeing me at such short notice. Their flexibility was very much appreciated and went a long way to making an awkward situation a lot easier to deal with.