This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?
Care Opinion

PrEP Impact Trial at Mortimer Market Centre

Story from nhs.uk

"PrEP Impact Trial at Mortimer Market Centre"

Having applied online via the PrEP Impact Trial website, my expectations of the appointment I had booked at the Mortimer Market Centre were a screening for HIV and an eligibility assessment for inclusion on the trial.

It seems evident that it is the centre's policy to ask patients to arrive 15 minutes before their appointment and then not offer them any apology when they are running 50 minutes behind schedule. Everyone's time is valuable and equally important. Unless you happen to be a patient visiting the clinic.

I would not have attended my appointment at the centre if I had understood it involved a full sexual screening with no guarantee of a follow-up appointment within the 40 day window.

I object to being asked to undertake a full STI screen when I am not presenting any symptoms in the hope that someone at the clinic will be able to see me in January. Securing follow-up appointments should not be on a wing and prayer.

I feel so exasperated by my experiences of trying to access NHS services in London. The clinic and PrEP trial may be oversubscribed, but the appointment system can be more effectively administered than the present one.

More about:
nhs.uk logo
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Mortimer Market Centre 6 years ago
Mortimer Market Centre

Submitted on 15/12/2017 at 17:38
Published on nhs.uk at 18:31

I’m really sorry that you had a bad experience with us.

We ask people to arrive 15 minutes before their appointment so they have time to complete our patient questionnaire which you need to do before we see you. You shouldn’t have had to wait such a long time for your appointment and I’m sorry about that. We know your time is valuable. Our clinics are particularly busy at the moment and we are looking at ways we can reduce our waiting times so people can see a clinician as quickly as possible.

The information on the PrEP Impact Trial website (www.prepimpactrial.org.uk) explains that everyone who wants to take part in the trial does need to have an STI test. This is a trial requirement. I am sorry if this was not clear from the information that you had.

When you attend an appointment for an STI test, we also check to see if you will be eligible for the trial before making an appointment to enrol you. Due to high demand, December appointments at the PrEP Impact Trial Clinic are fully booked. Although we cannot guarantee you a place on the trial at this point there are still places. January appointments will be available from Monday 18 December.

If you would like to talk about this more, I would be happy to speak to you. You can contact me on 020 3317 5467. If I am unavailable, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you are able to tell me where you saw information about the trial, I can check that the correct information is included there.

Elizabeth Nelson-Smith

Interim Service Manager Mortimer Market Centre

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k