"A state of the art eye hospital deserves a fully functioning switchboard"

I have just spent a frustrating 20mins on the telephone trying to speak to someone in the New Central Manchester Eye Hospital Out Patient Pharmacy.

Things which need to improve:

When you ring the switch board number 0161 276 1234 it takes 2-3 mins before anyone answers - I have rung this number 3x this morning

the switch board staff do not seem to have an accurate list of extension numbers or departments eg I asked to be put through to the Eye hospital OPD Pharmacy on the first occasion it rang with no answer for over 5mins with the odd burst of music then after all this it was cut off.

I rang switch board back and explained that my connection had been unsuccessful so could I be put through again but the same happened i.e. 5 mins ringing but no answer

My third attempt I decided to ask to be put through to the clinic I attend at the Eye Hospital i.e. OPD Clinic A. The switch board operator told me there was no such clinic I explained there was as I had visited it x2. He replied that maybe but he did not have any numbers for it . He said he had a number for OPD so would put me through.

At last I spoke to someone however this lady was in clinic G. She was very helpful & said that she didn't have a telephone number for the Pharmacy but as it was opposite her office she would walk across ask for the number & ring me back.

True to her word she did . I subsequently tried this number x 3 but it was engaged

The helpful lady from clinic G rang me back again to check if I managed to get through I explained that it was engaged which was a promising sign but she said that she had just spoken to someone else who had given her a different number i.e.. 9014302 not 7014302.

It seems to me that the switch board is understaffed hence the delay in answering incoming calls & lacks information about new telephone numbers & contact details. I guess that people are being put through to phones which are no longer connected thus not ringing in the appropriate offices.

A state of the art Eye Hospital deserves a fully functioning & accurate switchboard service.

I am now off to try & get through to the Eye Hospital OPD to try & sort out my original problem but that's another story!