"Poor service"

Anything else?

Appointments at the Liver Clinic are nearly always late. Often over an hour late. The waiting area is packed, with no reading material, often no seats and with the consultants rushed off their feet and nurses wandering around aimlessly. I cannot understand why no one can sort out the appointment system so that an appointment time means just that - give or take 5 or 10 mins - and patients don't have to sit around getting more and more dissatisfied and then anxious that they will not make it for their blood test before the clinic closes. Surely someone could devise a system which meant shorter appointment times for those having routine checks and longer for new patients or those requiring more in-depth consultations. There is often no one at the reception desk to explain where forms need to be left - never anyone after 5pm - and not even a notice explaining what to do. Nurses are often abrupt and presumably fed up with having to appease angry patients. A student nurse at a recent appointment sat in the consultation texting! The area is old, shabby and littered with out-of-date free newspapers or dog-eared leaflets, with no natural light or air. With at least three consultants/registrars staffing the clinic each week, considerable resources must be given to this patient-group. Surely someone could make the service more efficient and acceptable for patients?