"Appointment system is totally unacceptable"

My wife took my mother-in-law to the dental department on Tuesday 2nd February for a problem tooth to be removed. the appointment time was 11.30am. The problem was that everyone's appointment time was 11.30am. My mother-in-law (who is 94years old) was not seen until 4.50pm.That is a wait of nearly 5 and a half hours. That is totally unacceptable. The problem is that everyone are given the same appointment time. The appointments should be staggered.

Waiting time should be 1 hour or less, and this can easily be managed by competent staff.

If you have serious staff shortages, then the waiting patients should be informed. If their waiting time is going to be 5-6 hours then patients can decide to leave if they so wish and re-arrange the appointment when you are not understaffed.