Such waste

I agree and nowadays after being seen it is impossible to make another appointment for eg 4 months, one has to wait for the inevitable letter and if the date is not suitable more correspondence.

I made an appointment at the start of last week for an optometrist's appointment for three days later. The next day a phone call confirming and the next morning I was actually woken to remind me of the date. I am well aware of DNAs being a problem but my brain still has some memory function + I wrote the date down. It does irritate me.

I agree ditzyme I have had similar plus the cost of phoning up the doctor again and again and waiting in the call queue every single time for one appointment costs so much. Do not ask why I don't walk to the doctor to ask for an appointment in person because that would not do my blood pressure any good!

Absolutely agree! I was accused of just not showing up for an appointment when I had phoned up and cancelled it.

Another form of waste. Whilst my husband was ill, he fell and grazed his arm, I just put a sterilized dressing on it, but after a visit from the doctor, a nurse came with a 'baggage' of individual packed sterilized dressings, scissors, and all that goes with it, and left them with us for future visits which were regular daily, BUT a different nurse came each time, and each brought their own 'baggage'. When my husband went into hospital, I was told that the hospital might like these, but no, and no-one else wanted them, All duly sealed and sterile, I had about 12 no idea how much they cost, but how many times does this happen? They have been binned.

God knows why they can't use email or texts for people with that facility.

Another reason for (I suspect) a lot of missed appointments, is the frequent refusal of staff to send appt. letters - or at least a duplicate - to relatives of people with dementia, who will v likely throw the letter away, or hide it, and will never remember that they need to go.

They cite patient confidentiality, which is of course correct in general, but if the person is invariably going to forget, what on earth is the point? And if there's no health and welfare power of attorney and the person won't agree to P of A (not at all uncommon) there's nothing much you can do. So frustrating for many relatives and such a waste of time for the NHS.

I feel your annoyance. I have been having treatment for an eye condition on a monthly basis for a year now. I am still getting letters inviting me for eye screening. It is due to this screening that I'm having the treatment !
I have rung them on 3 occasions to inform them that I don't need a screening appointment (confirmed by my consultant).
The latest letter says that I chose to cancel the appointment and another will be sent shortly. ?

Please don't go there! I am just appalled at the waste by the NHS!

My OH has regular visits from the district nurse - she brings a sealed bag with gloves etc. in it - gazes thoughtfully at OH's bum with her gloves on then throws the whole lot away, having touched nothing!

We are supplied conveens and catheter bags and tubing etc by NHS - the day bags get thrown away every two or three days and the night bags are single-use. I have had to order a bigger waste bin to cope with all the stuff we throw away.
It was terrible to watch in hospital the plastic aprons, bags, gloves, bedpans, bottles etc. etc. - all thrown in the bin. I guess it is now cheaper to chuck stuff out than sterilise it. It was astonishing to watch this huge quantity of waste being thrown away just on one ward.

Luckygirl add to that crutches, sticks, zimmer frames, loo seats etc. and you see why our bills are so ridiculously high.

I would have thought maybe St. John's ambulance may have taken the sterile dressings.