"Unnecessary visit?"

I have a 120 mile round journey to get to Southampton General and, as my appointment was changed from 14:00 to 11:00 hours, I had to stay overnight near the hospital to be sure of being there on time, coming as I do via the notorious M27 roadworks. I was seen very promptly, by a very pleasant doctor, but all that happened were a few questions and then told I would have to come in as a day case to be tested. The expense to me of this appointment was just over £150 which includes a night in a budget hotel. Could these questions not have been dealt with by email or telephone?

This would also save the administrative costs of three letters and reception time. Perhaps a little lateral thinking when planning services might help the hospital and patients alike.