Have to comment on the appointment system, This is on behalf of my mother you is 90years old. We recently received an appointment for the Haematology department, quickly followed by an identical appointment letter only with a different time, and yet another appointment letter with yet another appointment tine. All three letters were identical with only the time of appointment being different. None of the letters were dated, so know way of knowing in which order they came.. I rang on behalf on my mother to check appointment time, just to be told that none of the times were correct, I was given another appointment time.
Took my mother to the hospital on the date/time requested. While waiting to be seen, we were informed that there had been yet another mix up in appointment time and the doctor/nurse she was booked to see was double booked for the appointment meme, hence she would have to see someone else..
This is a 90yr old lady that is quite ill. The QE appointment system is causing her great anxiety, She gets very upset being messed around in this way..
This is not an isolated case. More often than not appointments are changed. We even have calls asking to verify she will be attending an appointment, just to find it has been changed.
The most recent change is a follow up appointment received for Oct 2016. Within a couple of weeks this was changed. I’m it will be changed more than once more before the actual appointment.
While I’m sure the hospital professionals do their best in the circumstances. There is another dimension, this being the physiological effects of being messed about in this way. She has on numerous occasions broken down in tears as a result of being treated in this manner.
In conclusion, I am now finding it difficult to persuade her to attend any appointments , and these are critical life/death treatments.
Your comments please
William
"Appointment system Atrocious"
About: Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Gateshead) Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Gateshead) Gateshead NE9 6SX
Posted via nhs.uk
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