"Please improve organisation to avoid..."

I broke my wrist in a cycling accident.

Ambulance was called but after 40 minutes of waiting for the ambulance this was cancelled and I came to A and E by taxi.

An x ray was taken and my wrist was put in a plaster.

In A and E nobody gave me any information about the break, except that I might get a phone call from a senior doctor and that I might have to have an operation.

I received a phone call three days later to advise me that I had an appointment with a consultant on Tuesday. I also had a phone call to advise me that I had an operation in the day unit on Wednesday.

I turned up for my appointment with the consultant who started to explain options for the operation, when I mentioned that I had been booked in the following day for the operation.

At this point I was told to leave the room as they wanted to speak to their secretary.

I was then asked back into the room and the consultant told me sternly that I should not be talking to them as they were not operating on me and that I should discuss the operation with another consultant on the morning of the operation.

I was slightly concerned and said that this would mean that an ‘on the spot’ decision would have to be made on the day of the operation.

On my return home there was a letter confirming the operation the following day with the second consultant.

This consultation on the day of the operation lasted five minutes; I was not given any options.

When I was discharged I was told that I would have a follow up appointment ten days after the operation.

This did not happen and ten days after the operation, after numerous and unsuccessful phone calls, I went to A and E on Saturday.

When my records were checked in A and E on the computer, I was still under the care of the first consultant and there was no record of any follow up appointment.

On the following Monday it took me until midday for somebody to answer my calls.

Later that day I received a phone call to attend an appointment on Tuesday.

When I arrived at Preston fracture clinic on Tuesday I was told that I should be attending the appointment in Chorley not in Preston.

I was then told that there had been a mistake and I should in fact be in Preston.

Waited to see a doctor who could have seen me earlier as there was nobody else waiting to see them. Theydisappeared for 40 minutes and returned to give me a three minute consultation.