"Poor administration and emotional distress"

My wife found lumps in her neck and immediately went to our GP. After an initial biopsy that came back inconclusive, surgery was recommended. Following surgery we were told an analysis of what had been removed would be completed and the results would be available in approximately 3 weeks. This was at the start of March.

After a couple of weeks of no news a letter arrived from Maidstone and Tonbridge NHS trust detailing an appointment on in early May. With the nature of what news we are waiting on this felt too long to wait for hopefully the all clear so my wife rang to change the appointment. A new appointment was confirmed for the end of this month but the venue had changed from Maidstone to Pembury hospital.

The day before this appointment my wife rang the hospital as no official confirmation had been recieved. She was told that the 'system' had recorded that she attended the day before and no appointment was available. This appointment was to tell my wife whether she has cancer or not having given birth to our first child in the last year earlier. The attitude and response of the hospital staff was, whilst apologetic, less than acceptable.

Nobody has offered my wife a solution and she has been told that they are not sure where the necessary paperwork is as it 'may' have been sent back to Maidstone and it may have been muddled with someone elses.

This whole episode has caused huge emotional distress as well as a number of problems with child care. I took a day off so I could be with her on what could have been a very difficult day. The child care we organised had rearranged their own appointments because of the initial short notice of the appointment. None of this seemed to be of any concern and the perception we now have is that we are just a number and a product that has to be processed at the convenience of the trust regardless of the sensative nature of our needs. We currently have no appointment at all.