Hospital out patients appointments

Well silly me.....

Jayanna9040 if you'd read my last post you'd see that the problem was solved by a change of date and time.

My experience of London on a Friday is that it's not too bad around rush hour as Friday is POETS day (piss off early tomorrows Saturday). It might not be as bad as you fear....

Thanks Charleygirl I missed your last posting.

Just a quick update got a call from the hospital yesterday saying your Fri 4:30pm app has been moved to Monday at 10:50 so problem solved.. thank you to the NHS fairy

tanith recently I had to go as an emergency from home to Moorfields, City Road and it cost me £15 to go there. I appreciate that you live further out than I do but the problem is getting a mini cab from inner London to where you live costs a lot more. Why do you not ask your local mini cab company how much it would cost for one of their drivers to pick you up from OPD? That is what I did going home because the inner city firm wanted to charge around £20.

If you were certain that you would not be going for xrays or whatever, maybe your DH could ring the company when you are called to see the surgeon and that would save time hanging around.

It would be cheaper and more pleasant to have a fish and chip supper close by and catch a marginally later tube and with luck the majority of the rush hour punters will be on their merry way.

Thanks daphnedill could be a plan.

Just a thought. Maybe you could go by public transport and go home by taxi.

daphnedill OH estimates £25 minimum each way. Its not going to be that bad to warrant a £50+ spend .

How much would a taxi cost?

Thanks trisher I think I've decided to just turn up in good time for my app and sort out the journey home on the day.

Not sure about your hospital but I can tell you that my local doesn't allow anyone to jump in earlier than their given time. There are notices on the walls saying this-you will be seen at your appt time and not in the order you arrive. When I used to go with my mum and she had an am and a pm appt we were usually very early for the afternoon session. We still had to wait.

Ana I think the Apollo theatre is the old Odeon cinema I remember Queen doing a gig there sometime. There is a cinema somewhere down the high street but not sure what its called..

Thanks Coolgran65 I think it will be fine I like the fish and chips idea in fact that would appeal to OH much more than the theartre

Riverwalk - it was just a thought off the top of my head. I don't know London well, and Hammersmith- not at all.

And of course, my suggestion wasn't intended as a destination night out. It was making the most what might be available to avoid any journey issues. i.e. a movie followed by fish and chips could be fun a comfy bed, breakfast just to sit down and enjoy.

tanith I hope whatever you decide regarding your journey, that your appointment visit works out well and you have positive MRI results.

Isn't there an Odeon, or is that long gone?

There is the Apollo and the Lyric theatres and of course Riverside Studios plenty of pubs/restaurants so I might find something just have to persuade OH

Thats a thought Coolgran65 it isn't even far as we are only in Ealing its just the blasted timing that's going to make it problematic. I'll see what I can find and then make the suggestion to OH as he usually comes with me..

Hammersmith is hardly a destination night out!

Just a thought off the top of my head and you might think this is a silly idea, but if you could afford it.... what about staying overnight on the Friday, have a meal, or a movie, whatever would take your fancy.

You wouldn't be worried about the appointment running too late or the rush hour. Up on Saturday for a leisurely breakfast and get whatever train/bus would suit for the journey home. Maybe do something nice on the Saturday morning, or just head straight for home. Making a little trip out of it.

Thanks everyone for the input,Lillie I hadn't realised Barons Court was nearer I'll check that out we normally get off at Hammersmith. I think you are right Luckygirl whatever way I play it I'm going to be waiting so maybe I'll just get there in plenty of time and hope I get seen pretty swiftly..
I just checked out going to Barons Court but it involves a bus and 3 different trains whereas Hammersmith is a bus and one train much more straight forward.

I've spent more time than I care to remember travelling to and from CXH during rush hour. I expect you already know that Barons Court is the nearest tube and as it's an open air station it doesn't feel as oppressive and crowded. Luckily, it's not the busiest of stations and you will certainly get on. Stand right by the "less able" seat and if necessary ask someone if you can sit down. Commuters are pretty good at letting old grannies have a seat.
CXH is a huge teaching hospital and the imaging department is always busy. I've no idea how the appointment system works, but there are inevitably delays so I reckon given that you won't be back on the tube much before six you should be ok. A 3 pm appointment would actually be just as bad on a Friday on the tube.

Everyone finishes up waiting ages - the nurses go back and forth updating the board - 1 hour late, 2 hours late and so on. It is always like that whatever time you get there.

Where would you be getting the tube to tanith ?

tanith the problem with turning-up early is that most clinics invariably run late so you could end up sitting there even longer.

As you know, Hammersmith is a major stop, which means lots of people also get off there and the trains are very frequent at that time. Check the indicator board, if there's another one minute behind there's a better chance of getting a seat.

That would be an awful long time to have to hang around tanith. Up here it only takes around an hour for the football and shopping crowds to die down so my dad normally (under strict instructions) calls in somewhere to have a coffee, or a cheeky pint (he thinks I don't know )

It might be helpful to know what time the clinic starts? I mean, you might be the first on the list? As Ana said more often than not they are running late. Good luck anyway.

Ana that is what I'm fearing last time I waited an hour and half after my app time..