Shoot the Governments targets

Due to the government wanting Doctor’s and hospitals to reach false targets that show that all patients wishing to be seen, for whatever reason, are seen in a short time. OK, that is great if you are in A&E and want to be seen before you bleed to death but what if you want to make an appointment to have a review of your current medication. Why can’t you ring up a week or ten days in advance and make the appointment, you can then book time off work, arrange transport if necessary and get anything else sorted out you need to, but no, you have to ring in the morning to see if they have a free slot for you. This means that everybody is phoning the surgery as soon as it opens so you can’t get through anyway. When you do manage to speak to the receptionist there might not be any slots left and you have to take another day off work and remake all your arrangements.

 

Five months ago I went to hospital and the consultant told me to make an appointment for six months time, and also gave me a form to have a blood test one month before I came back to see him. I went to the reception and they told me they would send me the appointment. Well they did, two weeks notice so I called to attempt to get it moved as I had to have time to have a blood test done and then get the results back. She could not do it but was going to see the consultant about the blood test.

 

A few years ago you could walk up to a reception desk with a note from the consultant stating that they wanted to see you in six months time and the appointment could be made there and then.

 

The Patients Charter is not for patients or nursing staff it is for governments who want to massage statistics which we all know are untrue and cause inconvenience to all.