"Why is the system so little patient-centred?"

Last weekend after breaking my ankle I go to University Hospital Cardiff A&E which is a similar distance but easier to me to get to than Royal Gwent Newport. I am X-rayed and they fix me in a plaster of paris cast and give me crutches. They say if I take my paper record of this visit to A&E at Royal Gwent in Newport, they will replace this cast with a more weight-bearing cast offering more mobility. The sooner I go the better. This sounds encouraging, and I should feel optimistic.

Yesterday, I figured it would help if I asked the fracture clinic at Royal Gwent for an appointment. No, they said, I would have to go to A&E first. I phoned Royal Gwent A&E who confirmed this. But to facilitate the process, they would ask Cardiff University Hospital to send my X-rays straight away.

Since I am unable to drive, today I caught the bus to Newport. The hospital was a laborious and exhausting 35 minutes from the nearest stop on crutches. I gave my papers to A&E, expecting to wait in the line so I could have an appointment with the fracture clinic who would fix me up and send me home with a more weight-bearing cast. No chance. They would scan my papers onto their computer system today, that was all. Oh, and request my X-rays from Cardiff University Hospital A&E as they hadn’t done this yesterday though they said they would. Only tomorrow would a doctor look at my case and arrange an appointment with the fracture clinic.

My question is why is the system so little patient-centred? I struggled into Royal Gwent in Newport just to give them some papers. Cardiff University Hospital A&E could have sent these with my X-rays by now and I could have an appointment without having to have travelled there just as a postman.