"Accessibility & Communication"

Anything else?

I find it astonishing that in spite of a review on this site dated March 2010 (and the response from a senior manager) there is absolutely no improvement in the communication systems at Morpeth Cottage Hospital. I wish to contact the Podiatry department and have a letter dated February 2013 from the department which contains a telephone number for contacting the department directly. The number is 01670 395615. I've called this number constantly over the last 7 days (4 or 5 times each day) and ta no time has it been answered or redirected to an answering machine. This morning I telephoned my local surgery who were unable to give me any alternative means of contacting the department. Subsequently I contacted the main switch number (0844 811 8111) who did not have any number listed but eventually transferred me to a number (unknown) at Morpeth Cottage Hospital. The telephonist was unable to give me a number, but after speaking with a colleague gave me 01670 500922 and warned me that "the lady was speaking on that number at the moment" - I've now been calling this number for some time although on each occasion it is eventually transferred to and answer phone. I've left a message, but my confidence is now so low that I really doubt that anyone will respond. There are some significant questions: 1. Why does the department publish the 01670 395615 number when it is transparently obvious (and documented here) that there have been issues with this number being answered for the last 3 years? 2. Why is there no listing in the main 084481181111 number for the Podiatry department? 3. When email is rapidly becoming, (if it has not already become) the favoured method of communication, why does the Trust not adopt it for communication with its patients? And finally please, how do I contact this department without having to devote hours of my time to the task? This online form requests that I state the department which I visited. I haven't visited a department, but I do know that the one I want to speak to is Podiatry which is not listed! The only reasonable selection is "Don't know" which is obviously wrong in this case!