"Difficulty booking a podiatry appointment"

I am a 78 year old lady. I have diabetes.  I am told I must take care of myself, especially my feet. I arrived to my last podiatry appointment, early this year,  5 minutes late due to parking issues. I was checked in with admin staff and sat in the waiting area. Other patients then arrived. I sat for 25 minutes. At this stage the admin staff approached me in the waiting room and told me in front of other patients I was too late and I had missed my appointment as the next person for appointment was now there and I would need to rebook.  

I was upset by this and given a complaints form but did not want to submit it as I  value the work the service provides. Following the missed appointment I made other arrangements to get help in the meantime as I was worried about my feet/ nails.  My sibling had lost his legs to diabetes and I was very worried my monitoring did not take place and my nails were too long.

I was soon contacted by phone and offered an appointment at short notice.  I didn’t want to waste the appointment slot as I had been seen, so said I would wait until the next time I needed to be seen. I was advised to phone and book in again myself. I have since tried to re-book by phone to be told they were too busy and had no appointments but to try next month. I have been told I am low priority.

When I tried a month later- I am now having pain in my toe and communicated this to the admin staff -  I was told I was not an emergency and could not be seen but was on a waiting list. When I enquired where I was on the waiting list admin staff seemed to have an issue with this request and told me the list had not been started yet but I was number 120ish on the list. In contrast to this my husband who has diabetes and should equally be monitored but has no issues with his feet at present phoned to request an appointment and though was advised to call back was sent a letter to offer him one. 

I am now concerned about my feet and have again had to try and access a private appointment to assess the pain and issues I now have with my toe. 

I feel let down by service. I am unhappy with the current appointments system. I have found the communication from admin staff poor and feel I am not being listened to. I am disappointed that the monitoring my GP recommended is not being offered especially when I am in pain.