"Getting through on the telephone is impossible"

I have had to reschedule appointments on a number of occasions due to my son having exams or illness and the only time I was able to get through was to speak to one of the secretaries who told me it wasn't her job to cancel or make appointments and she would not even pass on the message to whomever was responsible. As I could not speak to anyone we would not attend the appointment. What a absolute waste of the consultant and nursing staffs time. Apart from that the treatment my son received since the surgery has been really good and the staff are really lovely. As to the surgery itself that was not so good and the surgeon who dealt with my son was truly appalling. She saw him before hand to explain the procedure and told,him he might be sick but that was ok as it would be a reaction to the medication. That was the one thing my son was terrified about. Had she spoken to me I would have told her not to mention that as I had spent the whole morning telling him it would not happen. My son had issues post op that meant he kept bleeding and no one could get hold of the surgeon. The next day the surgeon called to do a follow ow up and ask about my son. We had both been sleeping after the traumatic day before so she succeeded in waking us up. I said my son was fine as did. It want to speak to her. About tine minutes later the phone rings again and it's her and she is asking to speak to some one else. She was obviously calling all her patients in her check list so she could demonstrate that she had complied with some form patient charter no doubt but only succeeded in disturbing my poor son again. She clearly didn't see him as an individual . I am a lawyer in the civil service and I understand the pressures we are all under but I hope I am never as unprofessional .