Things you'd like to say, but can't

[Oxo]

Come out of Wetherspoon's and say, "You know what, Charles, that was really rather good".

 

[perplexed]

I know exactly where my dried chicken s**t pellets are...

 

[Salad Dodger]

No wonder the NHS is in a mess. 3 out of 6 clinics this morning have had at least one person miss their appointment, or turn up at least 10 minutes late for it....and its only a quarter past 10 in the morning. God knows how many missed appointments there will be by the end of the day. Appointments that, you know, ill people on the waiting lists could have taken advantage of.

It's not like we are situated in the back end of nowhere - we are on a main road and bus route, so it's not hard to get here, if you can just be ar**d to get out of bed in the first place!

 

[ColinJ]

No wonder the NHS is in a mess. 3 out of 6 clinics this morning have had at least one person miss their appointment, or turn up at least 10 minutes late for it....and its only a quarter past 10 in the morning. God knows how many missed appointments there will be by the end of the day. Appointments that, you know, ill people on the waiting lists could have taken advantage of.

It's not like we are situated in the back end of nowhere - we are on a main road and bus route, so it's not hard to get here, if you can just be ar**d to get out of bed in the first place!

I think people should be fined for missing appointments. It might not bother well-off people who can't be bothered to turn up, but it would make the rest of the culprits think twice about doing it again!

I write appointments in my diary and on a blackboard in my kitchen and also have SMS reminders sent to me. I set 2 alarms to make absolutely sure that I wake up in time for early appointments. I catch the bus or train BEFORE the one that would supposedly get me there in time, in case of delays.

 

[Lullabelle]

No wonder the NHS is in a mess. 3 out of 6 clinics this morning have had at least one person miss their appointment, or turn up at least 10 minutes late for it....and its only a quarter past 10 in the morning. God knows how many missed appointments there will be by the end of the day. Appointments that, you know, ill people on the waiting lists could have taken advantage of.

It's not like we are situated in the back end of nowhere - we are on a main road and bus route, so it's not hard to get here, if you can just be ar**d to get out of bed in the first place!

I had a routine check up at my GP surgery last November, at least 3 didn't turn up so I got in early, good for me but a very rude thing for others to do, there are people out there who could have had those appointments.

 

[classic33]

No wonder the NHS is in a mess. 3 out of 6 clinics this morning have had at least one person miss their appointment, or turn up at least 10 minutes late for it....and its only a quarter past 10 in the morning. God knows how many missed appointments there will be by the end of the day. Appointments that, you know, ill people on the waiting lists could have taken advantage of.

It's not like we are situated in the back end of nowhere - we are on a main road and bus route, so it's not hard to get here, if you can just be ar**d to get out of bed in the first place!

I think people should be fined for missing appointments. It might not bother well-off people who can't be bothered to turn up, but it would make the rest of the culprits think twice about doing it again!

I write appointments in my diary and on a blackboard in my kitchen and also have SMS reminders sent to me. I set 2 alarms to make absolutely sure that I wake up in time for early appointments. I catch the bus or train BEFORE the one that would supposedly get me there in time, in case of delays.

Can we fine the doctors for not turning up? Four hour wait only to be told that the doctor hasn't turned up. Result being every appointment that day, with that particular dr had to be rebooked. As did the rebooked appointment, when he did the same.

Turned out he was at his private practice a few miles away.

I felt sorry for the nurses.

 

[Svendo]

Can we fine the doctors for not turning up? Four hour wait only to be told that the doctor hasn't turned up. Result being every appointment that day, with that particular dr had to be rebooked. As did the rebooked appointment, when he did the same.

Turned out he was at his private practice a few miles away.

I felt sorry for the nurses.

Report to CQC (or PCT not sure which)?

 

[classic33]

Report to CQC (or PCT not sure which)?

I wasn't too bad, just two rebooked appointments. Others had to have transport rebooked. All of which doesn't come cheap.

They're no longer there, can't think why.

 

[ColinJ]

Can we fine the doctors for not turning up? Four hour wait only to be told that the doctor hasn't turned up. Result being every appointment that day, with that particular dr had to be rebooked. As did the rebooked appointment, when he did the same.

Turned out he was at his private practice a few miles away.

I sat next to 2 men at the local health centre who were discussing a notice which complained about missed appointments and how much it was costing the NHS. One said to the other "Yeah, right - and what about my bloody money - I have been sitting here for nearly 2 hours for my appointment. I have to earn a living but I am sat here waiting for the damn doctor to turn up!"

Actually, if the doctor didn't have a reasonable excuse for not turning up - yes. Someone in my family waited hours to see a consultant only eventually to be told that he had spontaneously extended his holiday and had only just phoned the hospital to cancel his appointments for the day!

All very well to whinge about patients missing appointments - and suggesting they are fined if they don't turn up - but when you dig into the reasons you often find the hospitals themselves are to blame... Some hospitals (including at least one I know of in Kent) are notorious for such things as:

• allocating eReferral ASI patients appointments less than three weeks in advance without talking to the patient first;
• failing to send out appointment confirmations;
• changing patient appointments but failing to change them in the PAS, or failing to record when patients have cancelled/amended appointments;
• changing patient appointments at short notice and failing to send details in a timely manner (my f-o-l had his o/p appointment brought forward 48 hrs before the original appointment. The hospital sent him the amended appointment by post... second class. He got it the day after the revised appointment).

I don't have a clue what ASI or PAS are, and I am sure that most other people don't either, but no matter - I get the idea!

If hospitals are notorious for making those mistakes, then the people in charge of those hospitals should be held to account.

No fine if the patient was not consulted about the timing of the appointment. No fine if an appointment confirmation was not sent out. No fine if the patient changed an appointment but the hospital cocked it up (though that one could be awkward to prove, since the hospital conveniently forgot to record it!). No fine if an appointment is changed at short notice. Also no fine if there is any other reasonable excuse (death in family, too ill to attend, injured, whatever ...). It seems reasonable to fine someone who does not have a reasonable excuse. Whether it would be financially viable to do it is another question, as is whether it would actually get people to change their behaviour.

 

[marknotgeorge]

I see they've stopped using horse in ready meals. Unfortunately, it smells like they've started to use dead dog instead.

 

[classic33]

I sat next to 2 men at the local health centre who were discussing a notice which complained about missed appointments and how much it was costing the NHS. One said to the other "Yeah, right - and what about my bloody money - I have been sitting here for nearly 2 hours for my appointment. I have to earn a living but I am sat here waiting for the damn doctor to turn up!"

You might know the private practice a few miles away. Delays I'm used to, I just felt sorry for the nurses, who,d to arrange the transport home for those who came via it. The main outpatient reception being staffed by a private company.

The CEO is ex council CEO.

 

[Spinney]

You might know the private practice a few miles away. Delays I'm used to, I just felt sorry for the nurses, who,d to arrange the transport home for those who came via it. The main outpatient reception being staffed by a private company.

The CEO is ex council CEO.

Just think of the money spent training nurses (and the nurses' time and efforts in training) .... so they end up having to sort out transport instead of, you know, nursing...

The bloody skiving doctor should have to fork out for all the extra travel expenses, admin time for sorting it out, people's loss of earnings attending for a consultation that wasn't going to happen... fat chance, though.

 

[raleighnut]

Just think of the money spent training nurses (and the nurses' time and efforts in training) .... so they end up having to sort out transport instead of, you know, nursing...

The bloody skiving doctor should have to fork out for all the extra travel expenses, admin time for sorting it out, people's loss of earnings attending for a consultation that wasn't going to happen... fat chance, though.

If it is a 'Private Practice' then surely the doctor is paying for it (Or the 'Partners' are)

 

[Spinney]

I read it as missed NHS appointments due to the doctor double booking him/herself and being at their alternative private practice instead. May be wrong...

 

[classic33]

Just think of the money spent training nurses (and the nurses' time and efforts in training) .... so they end up having to sort out transport instead of, you know, nursing...

The bloody skiving doctor should have to fork out for all the extra travel expenses, admin time for sorting it out, people's loss of earnings attending for a consultation that wasn't going to happen... fat chance, though.

Agreed, in full.