"Poor communication waiting for appointment"

I had an afternoon appointment with the nuclear medicine department at Southern general for an injection of radioactive tracer in preparation for a sentinel node biopsy and wide local excision to remove a cancerous lump from my breast the next morning.

I had travelled some distance and arrived an hour early for my appointment but was happy to wait. I checked in with one of the two reception staff on duty and then took a seat directly in front of the desk to wait for my appointment. There were only a few other people in the waiting area with me and for a proportion of time I was the only person waiting. The time for my appointment came and went and as I'm aware that there are often delays, I waited 30 minutes becoming increasingly anxious. I approached the same receptionist who checked me in to ask if I had got my appointment time wrong. He asked my date of birth and the advised they had no record of me on the system. I was upset and said to him that he himself had checked me in. He advised that he would try to find out what was happening. I felt very emotional as I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the injection and this would compromise the operation the next day. I sat in the reception area crying and no-one approached me at any point to check if I was ok.

Eventually a nurse from the nuclear department came out and said that they'd been tannoying me and the tannoy must not be working. They had been calling my husband and consultant to find out where I was and had advised them both that I had not arrived for my appointment, causing concern to both parties. I don't understand how I was left for so long when in plain view of the reception team and no-one checked at any point to see what was happening. I also don't understand why someone did not check with reception if they thought I had not arrived for my appointment.

It was an upsetting and unnecessary experience at an already difficult time.