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Appointment system for rheumatology dept

Posted By DorisW

"Appointment system for rheumatology dept"

About: Manor Hospital

(as the patient),

I have been trying to telephone the appointment department as I am due for a 6 week appointment and have heard nothing yet. I tried yesterday and today at different times. I waited at least 10 minutes but just get the repeat message. Yes, I have tried in the less busier times but I still can't get through. (I also had experience of this in the past and of appointments being missed so this is not a new thing).

I am concerned not only because this is frustrating for anyone who is attempting to make contact about an appointment but I am aware that DNAs are a cost to the Health Service.

Surely it is not cost effective to have such an inefficient system. I wonder how many patients have attempted to cancel or rearrange their appointments and have just given up. Some people can't afford to stay on the line too long.

I really feel the system needs reviewing and improving for the patient's sake and yours.

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Responses

Response from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 9 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 19/12/2014 at 08:19
Published on Care Opinion at 16:04

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to post a comment. I am sorry to learn of your experience and can appreciate your frustration.

We recently have had some teething troubles with our telephony system which has increased the time taken to proactively manage the call. I can reassure you 10 minutes is not the normal length of time you should be expected to wait and we are currently reviewing our telephony system to improve our patient experience whilst waiting for the call to be answered.

We are also reviewing our website and will shortly introduce a new service, where you can complete a request to change or cancel your appointment and a Call Centre Operator will call you back to discuss your appointment requirements with you.

If you would like to speak to somebody further about your experience, please contact our Patient Relations team on 01922 656463.

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Response from Manor Hospital 9 years ago
Manor Hospital

Submitted on 09/04/2015 at 08:40
Published on nhs.uk on 10/04/2015 at 01:00

Hello, Thank you for taking the time to post a comment. We're sorry to read about your problems getting through on the phone. We'd appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your particular experience. Could you please give our Patient Relations team a call and explain which service your appointment was with and the phone number that you have been trying to call. We can then look into any particular problem with this. Patient Relations are available on 01922 656463. Thank you.

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