Appointments

[Edwards]

Last Wednesday MrsE asked me to phone to get her an appointment at the doctors, some sort of throat problems. Below is the time line.

I phoned at 9.30 all appointments gone for Wednesday phone gain in the morning.
5 minutes later got a phone call back. Could she get there for 1200 as they had a cancelation.
12.15 saw the doctor who examined her and said she would be referred for a look see with a camera.
Friday 2 pm phone call from the hospital, could she come in the next day at 3.15pm as they had a cancelation.
Saturday morning 9 am phone call from the hospital could she come in at 11am as they had another now show and where seeing people earlier.
She went in got looked at and a biopsy the results should be know in 2 to 3 weeks. Expected to be all clear.

The above shows what can be achieved if people contact the hospital to inform them to cancel the appointment if they can.

So please please either contact them if you know you can not keep the appointment. You may just save somebodies life (even routine checks can pick stuff up).

[Psamathe]

Last Wednesday MrsE asked me to phone to get her an appointment at the doctors, some sort of throat problems. Below is the time line.

I phoned at 9.30 all appointments gone for Wednesday phone gain in the morning.
5 minutes later got a phone call back. Could she get there for 1200 as they had a cancelation.
12.15 saw the doctor who examined her and said she would be referred for a look see with a camera.
Friday 2 pm phone call from the hospital, could she come in the next day at 3.15pm as they had a cancelation.
Saturday morning 9 am phone call from the hospital could she come in at 11am as they had another now show and where seeing people earlier.
She went in got looked at and a biopsy the results should be know in 2 to 3 weeks. Expected to be all clear.

The above shows what can be achieved if people contact the hospital to inform them to cancel the appointment if they can.

So please please either contact them if you know you can not keep the appointment. You may just save somebodies life (even routine checks can pick stuff up).

(My added highlight above)
I would agree. Couple of years ago an ultrasound for something not very serious happened to find something rather more serious; GP referred me for a CT scan (7+ weeks wait), then they took a couple of weeks examining the results then had to wait 3+ weeks for a GP appointment (GP would only discuss the results face to face not over the phone because of what it was - he's normally fine with phone "consultations") and through all that stress I kept wondering how many people had just not turned-up to appointments I could have used (or walked-out when they had to wait a bit).

Ian

[Mick F]

Is it just me?

If I get a letter from the NHS for an appointment at the local clinic, turn up 5mins early, and 20mins after my appointment time I'm still not called forward, I go and complain.
What makes them think that their time is more important than my time?
If there's a delay, why can't I be told when I arrive?
If I have an appointment with them, they also have an appointment with me. This is a two-way thing!
If I turned up 20mins late, THEY would complain!

Today, I complained, and then left, and told them to send me another appointment, and we'll try again.

Drives me MAD.

Today Incident One:
I had an appointment with the pharmacist for a medication review this morning.
I waited 25mins after my due time and went to the very nice receptionist to say that I wasn't going to wait any longer. I added that the people behind me could move one place up. There were others after me, so they would have done. I left.

After getting home, the pharmacist phoned and apologised profusely. I said that I can fully understand that things can get delayed, but all it takes is for the people waiting to be informed. He agreed, and then conducted my review over the 'phone.
(should have been done like that in the first place!)

Today Incident Two:
We have (yet again) a broadband issue. It drops off intermittently. PlusNet are on the case and made an appointment for the OpenReach engineer to call round between 8am and 1pm today.

No show.
Still have intermittent broadband. Nothing done. No contact from them.
I've sent a snotty email to PlusNet ............... I know it's not their fault, but they are the people I pay my dosh to so they have to sort it. Had we not been in if OpenReach called, we would be charged a call-out fee.

I was inconvenienced by having an appointment, and Mrs Mick F had to stay in for OpenReach.
Drives us BOTH MAD.

[pwa]

A couple of weeks ago my wife, who teaches, had a parents' evening. Happens a few times a year. No big deal. Chance for a chat with the parents.

At about 7pm a couple of parents popped in to ask my wife if they could be a little later than their scheduled appointment because they had just spotted another teacher they wanted to see. My wife said fine. At 7.45 my wife was still waiting. Another member of staff came in and said all the parents were now gone. She'd stayed on an extra half hour for parents who had changed their mind and left without seeing her.

[PH]

Other side of the coin - Five year old girl dies after being turned away from the GPs for being late
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... pointment/

When I have a delayed appointment, yes it's annoying but I appreciate there may be reasons for it outside of the control of the person I have the appointment with. Communication is good, but its possible sorting that out will delay the appointment further.

[Bonefishblues]

I turned up way early for a hospital appt recently and called into the dept to check I was in the right place and ask where I could get coffee and breakfast. 15 mins later I was in the MRi machine - since I was there, and so they could get ahead, which was nice

[Tangled Metal]

The x-ray department local GPs refer patients to has an open doors policy without appointments. Every time I've used them it's been a case of into the doctors Friday afternoon, get referral sticker and department business card and then I turn up as soon as I can which is usually in the last half hour on the same day as the doctor's appointment. Every time they happens I hand over the referral sticker and in the time it takes for the guy to check my details and enter it into their system I've had a call into the X-ray room. I've yet to take longer than 5 minutes from entering the department door to leaving the department door after being seen.

I make sure I tell them each time about how great the last visit was for service. They always say they'll try to beat it.

If anyone knows how they manage to run an x-ray department like that I'm interested to know. Other departments are flat out and running very late. This gp one has ppl sat around waiting for customers. I'm surprised they don't do some foreigners for the busy x-ray departments when they're quiet.

[Psamathe]

.....
Today Incident Two:
We have (yet again) a broadband issue. It drops off intermittently. PlusNet are on the case and made an appointment for the OpenReach engineer to call round between 8am and 1pm today.

No show.
Still have intermittent broadband. Nothing done. No contact from them.
....

A year ago, BT/OpenReach had a fixed compensation payment for an engineer "no show". Possible this has changed and I've no idea how PlusNet handle it.

Having have many OpenReach engineers over the last couple of years (ludicrous numbers without them fixing the problem):
1. No shows are not uncommon and no surprise
2. Even when they turn up, I expect only a couple to be of any use (many talk rubbish, are not interested in doing anything and are more than happy to leave). Out of my many attending engineers, a couple have been really good (one gave me his personal mobile number saying to call him directly if problems persist as his boss allows him to "schedule his own call-outs!"); even had him working on my line outside my house at 08:00am on a Sunday morning. And when I did call him on his mobile he was very helpful (despite my dog deciding his expensive test gear was a toy and taking it in her mouth and chucking it at him).

I regard OpenReach as a monopoly so we (rural types) have to pretty much take what they decide to give us as we can go nowhere else., no competitors.

Ian

[Bonefishblues]

.....
Today Incident Two:
We have (yet again) a broadband issue. It drops off intermittently. PlusNet are on the case and made an appointment for the OpenReach engineer to call round between 8am and 1pm today.

No show.
Still have intermittent broadband. Nothing done. No contact from them.
....

A year ago, BT/OpenReach had a fixed compensation payment for an engineer "no show". Possible this has changed and I've no idea how PlusNet handle it.

Having have many OpenReach engineers over the last couple of years (ludicrous numbers without them fixing the problem):
1. No shows are not uncommon and no surprise
2. Even when they turn up, I expect only a couple to be of any use (many talk rubbish, are not interested in doing anything and are more than happy to leave). Out of my many attending engineers, a couple have been really good (one gave me his personal mobile number saying to call him directly if problems persist as his boss allows him to "schedule his own call-outs!"); even had him working on my line outside my house at 08:00am on a Sunday morning. And when I did call him on his mobile he was very helpful (despite my dog deciding his expensive test gear was a toy and taking it in her mouth and chucking it at him).

Ian

Push push, push. That is all. Push the (I'm sure) lovely people at Plusnet morning noon and night to hassle BT OpenRetch. I have recently had exactly the same issue, and that was the only way to get it resolved.

No fewer than what, 7 or so Engineer visits, and with a scar across the lawn from a re-cabling, we are back online, but BT's service levels mean that unless you do hassle, they can stick you at the back of the queue whilst others shout more loudly.

[[XAP]Bob]

Other side of the coin - Five year old girl dies after being turned away from the GPs for being late
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... pointment/

When I have a delayed appointment, yes it's annoying but I appreciate there may be reasons for it outside of the control of the person I have the appointment with. Communication is good, but its possible sorting that out will delay the appointment further.

That’s what receptionists are for. That communication filter...

[Mick F]

Other side of the coin - Five year old girl dies after being turned away from the GPs for being late
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... pointment/

When I have a delayed appointment, yes it's annoying but I appreciate there may be reasons for it outside of the control of the person I have the appointment with. Communication is good, but its possible sorting that out will delay the appointment further.

That’s what receptionists are for. That communication filter...

Yep.
.......... and I told them, and they agree ................... but still don't do it automatically.

I wonder if I asked when I arrived, they would know anything? I'm willing to bet they don't.
It's the system that's wrong. We are customers, and the customer should be courted and looked after and not ignored.

If I'd phoned ten minutes before my appointment and been told there was a half-hour delay, I could have turned up for 11:30 instead of 11:00 ........................ but I guess the receptionist wouldn't have known anything anyway ............. but she should.

[Vorpal]

Other side of the coin - Five year old girl dies after being turned away from the GPs for being late
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... pointment/

When I have a delayed appointment, yes it's annoying but I appreciate there may be reasons for it outside of the control of the person I have the appointment with. Communication is good, but its possible sorting that out will delay the appointment further.

That's so sad. I feel awful for the family. I can't imagine anything worse than having one of my children die. But I don't understand why the mum didn't take the girl to A&E? Or stood there and insisted it was medical emergency.

She must not have realised the danger she was in.

[thirdcrank]

On a considerably less grave note, I've had to miss a dental appointment this morning through the traffic chaos caused by the snow. I turned back when I'd only covered half a mile in half an hour because of standing traffic. I rang the dentist to apologise bet they were grateful for the call; it seems a lot of patients just don't turn up.

[[XAP]Bob]

Other side of the coin - Five year old girl dies after being turned away from the GPs for being late
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... pointment/

When I have a delayed appointment, yes it's annoying but I appreciate there may be reasons for it outside of the control of the person I have the appointment with. Communication is good, but its possible sorting that out will delay the appointment further.

That's so sad. I feel awful for the family. I can't imagine anything worse than having one of my children die. But I don't understand why the mum didn't take the girl to A&E? Or stood there and insisted it was medical emergency.

She must not have realised the danger she was in.

That's because it's the flipping Dr's responsibility to know that...


I have just had an appointment for an 'urgent' scan.... The scan is scheduled for three weeks after the followup appointment.

[pete75]

Is it just me?

If I get a letter from the NHS for an appointment at the local clinic, turn up 5mins early, and 20mins after my appointment time I'm still not called forward, I go and complain.
What makes them think that their time is more important than my time?
If there's a delay, why can't I be told when I arrive?
If I have an appointment with them, they also have an appointment with me. This is a two-way thing!
If I turned up 20mins late, THEY would complain!

Today, I complained, and then left, and told them to send me another appointment, and we'll try again.

Drives me MAD.

You are retired, they have jobs to do. Their time is more important than your time.