Outpatient Appointment Woes

[MikeyBikey]

The use of tech surrounding outpatient appointments is abysmal. At least once a month I have to rearrange an outpatient appointment as it overlaps an existing appointment. Only once have I had two in the same hospital at different times with time for coffee in-between. The problem is Hospital Trusts seem to have no central appointment system so, for instance, I am on three appointment databases in the area where I live that do not cross-reference each other. When I asked why I was told Patient Confidentiality! Utter tosh! Patient Transport know which clinic you are attending so they can take you there.

Then this morning I spent nearly an hour getting through about the appointment | should not have. I mentioned a week ago I had Ophthalmology appointments last Monday and today. This was sorted last Monday and all the checks were done and I was told today's appointment was cancelled but then got a reminder text over the weekend which is why I called this morning not wanting a DNA (Did Not Attend) letter which happened with a different clinic a year ago when an appointment was rebooked but the clerk did not cancel the original one! I suspect my GP surgery will get another one!

Trusts need to sort these issues out - there were less problems when they used large legers before computers!

Another annoyance is I have a home visit tomorrow but the only time they will give me is anytime between 8;00 and 18:00!

 

[Alan44]

Jeez @MikeyBikey it doesn't get any better for you does it.

I guess all you can do is hang in there

Take care
Alan

 

[rebrascora]

I think our area has a central hospital appointments booking office. I only get one appointment a year with the consultant and then retinal screening, so apart from them making appointments and then cancelling and re booking, I don't have any issues as it is very unlikely they would clash.

My current outstanding appointment was for 26th of this month with my consultant but then got cancelled and rearranged for 10th December again with my consultant and then that was cancelled but subsequently got another letter saying I had an appointment on the 10th still but with a new consultant and then another letter cancelling that and giving me an appointment with the new consultant on 24th December! Each time a letter in the post all for one "annual" appointment. Must be costing them a small fortune in postage!

It must be really frustrating for you with so many regular hospital appointments and relying on patient transport will mean you can probably only manage one a day and of course gone are the days when you could just ring someone up and sort it over the phone. Thankfully I don't have to deal with CAPTCHA or whatever it is, which has to make it 10x more frustrating. Can only sympathise.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Yep, sympathies from myself also @MikeyBikey.

The use of tech surrounding outpatient appointments is abysmal.

The problem is Hospital Trusts seem to have no central appointment system so, for instance, I am on three appointment databases in the area where I live that do not cross-reference each other. When I asked why I was told Patient Confidentiality! Utter tosh!

Trusts need to sort these issues out - there were less problems when they used large legers before computers!

As I reply to your post I'm superficially listening (background wash really) to Sir Keir Starmer telling an audience in Glasgow at the Interpol Conference how data sharing will solve numerous problems and how proud he is that "My Government" will invest heavily in IT to achieve this ....

So much tech is abysmal - relative to what it could and should do. It seems to get worse with time in terms of accuracy and promptness of delivering an end product service; the NHS has some of the worst collections of computer systems, a muddled "collage" of snapshots that randomly generate out of date information. Yet these IT systems increasingly demand HCPs spend more and more time typing on keyboards and glued to computer screens creating reports in formats that are excessive in length, with endless duplications/ repetitions and made unnecessarily illegible to the Patient by its length. Invariably 3 pages long to say something that could be said in half a page. The ultimate insult for me is when I'm told that a blatantly incorrect bit of data can only be corrected by the person who added that wrong detail; a person who no longer works at that Department and only a formal review through the Department can get this error changed. Data Configuration Control gone mad.

I want to say I hope your challenges will ease, indeed greatly improve. I really do hope for that outcome. But I won't hold my breath. Last week's budget is going to pour billions more into a broken NHS process (a definition of insanity in business parlance) and despite some sensible media questioning no-one seems to have an answer to where the billions will be spent in the NHS, nor what sort of reforms might even be envisaged

 

[AndBreathe]

I'm fortunate not to have an over-bearing number of hospital appointments to juggle. It must be exhausting for you @MikeyBikey . I do, however violently agree that out NHS IT systems seem to be a disjointed cluster thingamajig at best.

In July I had an episode whereby over a day or so, I had visible blood in my urine. GP erred on the side of caution and packed my off onto the 2-week cancer pathway. Investigations cleared me of the Big C, but showed what is believed to be a cyst somewhere behind my bladder.

That got me packed off onto the Gynae Big-C pathway.

After further unltrasounds, CTs and an MRI, it is still considered to be a cyst, but it cannot be ascertained from where it emanates, so I'm now waiting to see a specialist gynae/gastro surgeon with a view to get rid of the thing.

Late August I was discharged from the Gynae Oncology to Gynae. Are you following so far?

Since that time, I have been telling person after person that I am still on the Gynae Oncology waiting list. Gynae consultant wants me off there (as do I0, but can anyone be galvanised into actually actioning it? Of course not.

Frankly, I have stopped asking and will deal with it, again, when an appointment lands on the mat.

The waiting list is estimated at 13 weeks. I've been on it a couple of days short of 16 weeks, so hopefully it'll be soon.

Conversely, I have an issue with a cyst in a joint, on a finger. I had surgery on the same thing, on the other hand last year. GP referred me on 21st October and I see the hand surgeon on Friday - 19 DAYS later.

You honestly couldn't make it up.

 

[MikeyBikey]

I ended up with two appointments this Wednesday 15 minutes and 20 miles apert. Obviously the Foot Clinic takes prioritiy for me. I rang the appointments desk for the other hospital towards the end of last week and got a message about doing it online. Went online to find you cannot if the appointment is less than a fortnight away. As I could not get an answer on the phone I emailed the secretaries to the applicable department but it was after 4:00 on Friday. This morning I rang the outpatient number again and got through to be told I must have cancelled it on line and it was being rebooked. When I looked at my emails after there was a new one sent while I was on the phone from one of the secretaries saying it was cancelled and was being rebooked. Hopefully there will be no clash as I included a list of my current known appointments.

 

[helli]

Not exactly appointment related but, when a letter arrives in the post, I instantly know if it is from the NHS.
Every other organisation uses the title "Ms" (I have a principle that men's marital status is not relevant so why should women's?). However, I don't trust the NHS to correctly implement a title change so they still address me as "Miss" (and my principled self feels grumpy when I see it).

 

[Witchylin]

The NHS apointments are either more than one together or ages away. I had a vitrectomy surgery on my left eye in October 2023. I was sent an appointment a few days later with a date October 2024. I then received 5 more letters with the same appointment and 4 text messages. Surely the cost of all those letters and people using up time to send them and messages is ridiculous. So far my appointments have not been on the same day but I have had to drive the 60 mile round trip to James Cook hospital on two consecutive days!

 

[CliffH]

Not exactly appointment related but, when a letter arrives in the post, I instantly know if it is from the NHS.
Every other organisation uses the title "Ms" (I have a principle that men's marital status is not relevant so why should women's?). However, I don't trust the NHS to correctly implement a title change so they still address me as "Miss" (and my principled self feels grumpy when I see it).

I think that many people would be surprised by how sexist the NHS (still) is. I left the NHS seven years ago and it was still noticeable then the gender difference in how often women were referred to (correctly) as "Dr", compared with their male colleagues .

 

[trophywench]

I think that many people would be surprised by how sexist the NHS (still) is. I left the NHS seven years ago and it was still noticeable then the gender difference in how often women were referred to (correctly) as "Dr", compared with their male colleagues .

Referred to by whom and to whom? - as patient when asked by anyone at all who I'm seeing today I'll say Dr Smith or whatever their last name happens to be and if I can't remember the name or sometimes, I confess, when I haven't known how to pronounce the name, I've been known to say eg 'Dr Q' and the questioner will say the name and I don't then forget it. Never made a difference of what gender they happen to be. Always Dr now (used to sometimes be a Mr/Miss if FRCS (though batty when one of your mates has told you her kids and the lady surgeon's children go to the same school and she's already told you 'Miss M' is really Mrs Bloggs and her husband's name is Joe)

 

[MikeyBikey]

I think that many people would be surprised by how sexist the NHS (still) is. I left the NHS seven years ago and it was still noticeable then the gender difference in how often women were referred to (correctly) as "Dr", compared with their male colleagues .

What I have noticed more in my time in hospital (an an inpatient {near four months total in six years} and a multitude of outpatient appointments) is the pulling of rank. On one occasion a Grade 8 administrator told a Grade 6 I was ready for discharge and when she disagreed was hauled in the office. One of the better diabetic consultants I had moved into admin to climb the greasy pole apparently doubling his salary in the process. Allegedly he delayed numerous insulin dependent diabetics getting Libre before he retired!

 

[CliffH]

Not exactly appointment related but, when a letter arrives in the post, I instantly know if it is from the NHS.
Every other organisation uses the title "Ms" (I have a principle that men's marital status is not relevant so why should women's?). However, I don't trust the NHS to correctly implement a title change so they still address me as "Miss" (and my principled self feels grumpy when I see it).

Referred to by whom and to whom? - as patient when asked by anyone at all who I'm seeing today I'll say Dr Smith or whatever their last name happens to be and if I can't remember the name or sometimes, I confess, when I haven't known how to pronounce the name, I've been known to say eg 'Dr Q' and the questioner will say the name and I don't then forget it. Never made a difference of what gender they happen to be. Always Dr now (used to sometimes be a Mr/Miss if FRCS (though batty when one of your mates has told you her kids and the lady surgeon's children go to the same school and she's already told you 'Miss M' is really Mrs Bloggs and her husband's name is Joe)

I meant colleagues rather than patients

 

[MikeyBikey]

Confusion continues! After my blood tests last week I thought I would look on Patient Access to see if my result's are up. They aren't but I saw I had a home visit booked I knew nothing about. I may not be there as I have a Podiatry appointment earlier in the day and have no idea when Patient Transport will get me home. Something else to re-arrange but why was I not told about it as I could have referred to my appointment spreadsheet!

 

[EMcKT]

I am so sorry that you get messed around, it makes me cross as I'm sure you are!!!!! Actually, it pisses me off, as I'm sure it does you. DH sat in yesterday all morning awaiting a telephone appointment, time went on, no phonecall. When he eventually phoned the number, he was told Dr. was busy and would phone when he finished. If no call by 1.30, a new appointment would be arranged. It was not life threatening but just bloody inconvenient. Sorry .........but it does bug me.

 

[MikeyBikey]

Confusion continues! After my blood tests last week I thought I would look on Patient Access to see if my result's are up. They aren't but I saw I had a home visit booked I knew nothing about. I may not be there as I have a Podiatry appointment earlier in the day and have no idea when Patient Transport will get me home. Something else to re-arrange but why was I not told about it as I could have referred to my appointment spreadsheet!

Well I just had a look on Patient Access and the home visit had not been rearranged (I suspected as much as I had not had the promised phone call) so what have the admin staff been doing all week? There are also no blood test results. I hope the samples have not been spoilt or lost again. This has happened more than once over the years. I have also had numerous tests for the Covid go astray when in hospital/care home and being tested weekly. Strangest one was when they claimed to have .lost two large containers with a 24-hour urine collection. I held No.2 position with 3.5 litres in 24 hours - the No.1 was just under 4 litres! Not sure how you can misplace that?

 

[Chris Price]

I have a good relationship with the diabetes team at the hospital in Warrington but dealing with the GP is very hit and miss.I am thinking of moving to a different Surgery as mine doesn’t get a good rating locally.

 

[EMcKT]

Well I just had a look on Patient Access and the home visit had not been rearranged (I suspected as much as I had not had the promised phone call) so what have the admin staff been doing all week? There are also no blood test results. I hope the samples have not been spoilt or lost again. This has happened more than once over the years. I have also had numerous tests for the Covid go astray when in hospital/care home and being tested weekly. Strangest one was when they claimed to have .lost two large containers with a 24-hour urine collection. I held No.2 position with 3.5 litres in 24 hours - the No.1 was just under 4 litres! Not sure how you can misplace that?

Im sorry and I should not laugh but agree...how can you misplace that......... In a previous life, I was a biochemistry technian at a large Maternity Hospital in Glasgow. Newly built , on the crest of a hill, with public transport stopping two streets away. Many a time I saw pregnant ladies struggling up the hill, carrying huge plastic containers of urine. Who thought that was a good idea????????? Initial reaction was a man, who was the architect, who had never been, nor ever would have been pregnant and in that position. Occasionally one of the female technicians would stop and offer a lift. I'm going back over forty years but as you say.........how can one lose 4 litres of urine............

 

[EMcKT]

Re my husband's missed telephone appt, the Dr phoned the next day full of apologies, it's was his mistake, he thought it was a clinic appt and not a phone. Settled amicably.
This am I have had yet another reminder, a letter, telling me I am eligible for FREE flu and COVID jabs!!!!! I have had my flu jab last week, I shall book COVID when my arms have rested from that and B12, then do the respiratory one. I know it's necessary, but what a waste of NHS time, paper, postage and wages.!!!

 

[MikeyBikey]

Im sorry and I should not laugh but agree...how can you misplace that......... In a previous life, I was a biochemistry technian at a large Maternity Hospital in Glasgow. Newly built , on the crest of a hill, with public transport stopping two streets away. Many a time I saw pregnant ladies struggling up the hill, carrying huge plastic containers of urine. Who thought that was a good idea????????? Initial reaction was a man, who was the architect, who had never been, nor ever would have been pregnant and in that position. Occasionally one of the female technicians would stop and offer a lift. I'm going back over forty years but as you say.........how can one lose 4 litres of urine............

Maybe it should have been on Crimewatch! Nick Ross could have finished "Apparently the owner is extremely p*ss*d off!".

 

[Leadinglights]

Sister in law said today she visited the GP who said she was surprised to see her after her serious car accident when nothing of the sort had happened but they checked the medical notes and sure enough it said she had ended up in A&E with broken bones and severe whiplash. Makes you wonder whose record that info should have been added to.