I can Haz Appointment!

[lnr]

Two calls today, one at 9:15 when I established Nadia wouldn't be in until 10 and would only be in this morning, but did get the person I spoke to to observe that Nadia's phone was giving a useless message and promise to leave her a note. One at 10:30 when I actually spoke to Nadia: she *did* get my message last week, but there was a problem with the clinics and she needed to talk to one of the doctors which is why she didn't call me back yet. And the clinic I need only runs once a month and the next available appointment is on the 9th of June, but I do at least now have an appointment. I explained how much trouble I'd had getting hold of her, and she said they do seem to have phone problems like this sometimes but when they report them nothing is wrong. Hmm. Still, progress at last.

This doesn't manage the "where possible we'll try to arrange your first appointment within five weeks" - 9th June is 10 weeks and 1 day after I saw the GP. I wonder how likely it is that "in line with government policy [...] you should wait no longer than 18 weeks from the time you are referred to a hospital specialist to the time you begin treatment or are admitted for an operation". That would have to be by the week beginning 30th August.

Comments

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

Hooray for finally getting an appointment!

I wonder how many people do meet 18 week guideline, what with the silly number of ways around it that don't count.

[lnr]

Yes, I do rather wonder when *they're* counting the referral from.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

This seems to happen to so many people. I suspect there is an endemic problem with NHS phones and because it is a massive organisation nobody has figured out it happens all over the place.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

I think the system has been changed somewhat recently which can't help. Certainly the 7 days thing was rare and now is almost every appointment and a lot of appointments are made by an external centre booking office which is incidentally probably where the 9-5 comes from. But it has caused many issues.