"Urogynaecology Outpatient Appointments"

I feel there is a serious problem with the excessively long wait for Urogynaecology app's, especially with the Consultant I am under. I saw my Consultant in Dec 2018 as a new patient. I then had a cystoscopy and another procedure in March 2019 performed by my Consultant. My Discharge Summary said I was to have an outpatient app in my Consultant's Urogynae outpatient clinic, Time frame within 3-4 months. I received an app through the post to see them at the end of Dec 2019, 9 months after my surgery. I was initially told the only way I would get to see my Consultant quicker was if a cancellation for them came up. I was later told that extra clinics would be put on, but it would be with a Clinical Fellow not my Consultant. A couple of months later, I managed to get a cancellation to see my Consultant for Sept 2019, still outside the time frame to be seen but better than the end of Dec. I rec'd that app letter, then a few days later rec'd another app for July 2019, but with a different Consultant's name on the front. This confused me so I rang the gynae admin team, They told me that this Consultant had a cancellation, so I had been given that app as I was on the cancellation list. It didn't seem to matter that it was with a different Consultant. I wasn't too happy, as I wanted to see my Consultant who had performed my surgery. When this app was cancelled, I was told it was never going to be with the Consultant but with a registrar and was told their name. When I finally had my Urogynae f/up app, it was with a different doctor to the one I had been told it would be with. I felt this app went okay, but I would have much preferred it to have been with my Consultant, who has an excellent bedside manner. I have now rec'd my next f/up app and it is with a Consultant but not with my Consultant, as their waiting time has grown even longer and their next available app's are not until May 2020. I really don't see the point in being under a Consultant you are never going to get to see unless you are willing to wait 10 months between app's or hope you can get a cancellation to see them. Having to wait 10 months isn't always practicable. A good patient-doctor relationship is very important to me, but this is only achievable when you are able to see the same doctor each time at your outpatient app's. I only hope the consultant I'm listed to see in Jan 2020, I will be able to see again, but this can't be guaranteed. I have found out that the Uroygnae dept doesn't have dedicated post-op clinics.Therefore it was very unlikely I was ever going to get to see my Consultant within the time frame on my Discharge Summary, when I would have to see them in their normal outpatient clinic, which would have been 9-10 months after my surgery.

I feel the Urogynaecology service is very overstretched, with not enough Consultant clinics, which means patients having to wait too long between appointments. Therefore not providing the excellent service it should do.