Valuing the NHS

Of course it is bad that appointments get missed but not all of them are the fault of the patient. At my GP surgery we have to make appointments as much as 25 days ahead and we don’t automatically get a reminder text. There are also many people like myself with short term memory difficulties. I can have something I need to do on my mind all morning then have it vanish from my brain half an hour beforehand if some happening distracts me. My daughter has my appointments on her phone calendar so she can remind me but not everyone is as fortunate as I am.

When I fell and was carted off to hospital for major surgery my daughter phoned a hospital where I had an upcoming appointment to tell them I couldn’t come and why. I was sent another appointment for 9 months later which I felt was punitive. Years later my Consultant, who has known me for 15 years and knows me very well, asked why I had a ‘Missed appointment’ flagged up in my notes. She said another time phone the clinic and not outpatients appointments.

My daughter took her infant son to a hospital hearing test and then saw the consultant to discuss the results. A day or two later she received a referral to a different clinic for a hearing test. She phoned her GP who knew nothing about it and then the first hospital, leaving a message which was not replied to. So she rang the consultant’s secretary who said that it was a mistake and the second referral would be cancelled. My daughter also phoned the second hospital clinic to explain and tell them the appointment was cancelled.

Fast forward two months and she has received a letter from her GP asking her to make an appointment to discuss a letter received by the surgery from the second hospital informing them that she had missed a hospital appointment for her son. A black mark on her record which she is not happy about. Giving out hefty fines would be a field day for solicitors.

I could not count how often I have left messages on NHS answer machines and never had anyone call back.

I don't think the NHS should take it upon themselves to issue appointments unasked. If you're an unreliable type, you're not going to bother to ring and cancel (and, in fairness, if you never asked for appointment, you might feel 'why should I?') I think a note with a phone number for YOU to make a date IF YOU WANT is surely the only sensible way to do it! We are free agents and each has the absolute right to decline any offered test or procedure, whatever 'the Authorities' tell us!

Not sure I believe those shocking NHS stats. Whilst recent experiences of my own local services, both Dr surgery and hospital, have been fab in all aspects, my experience in caring for others living in a city have been entirely different: local Dr surgery too oversubscribed and therefore patient care lacking/minimal and hospitals are overwhelmed/struggling to meet Government expectations. Over last couple of years there seems a prevalence of appointment letters received only to be delayed shortly b4 said date (and sometimes twice!) at both hospitals. We recently attended aappointment and were about to be chastised by specialist for 2 "no shows" before eventual turning up. However when he saw photos of all letters on my phone (I know, I'm sad but its just my way of being organised!) he soon changed the conversation! A flippant remark made later suggested postponed appointments are just a way of ensuring targets are being met! My worry is we're all being mislead by these shocking numbers.......

We claim to value our NHS but our behaviour shows that we abuse our NHS.

Missed appointments and refusing health screenings are chronic, hugely wasteful and deserve a lot more publicity nationally and locally.

NHS services being free at the point of delivery may cause this but even airlines overbook because of no shows.

I agree with NotSpaghetti If I make an appointment and can't go, I cancel it. If someone makes an appointment that I haven't asked for, I just don't go. If they make appointments unilaterally they know very well that a lot of people won't keep them so they should review the attendance and overbook for the minimum number of non-attendances they have on a daily basis.
There is no moral obligation to use poo sticks and I don't see how that in any way equates with not turning up for appointments.
Last time I had to change a dentists appointment, they said that she wasn't working on the day of the appointment (as if that was somehow my fault) so errors work both ways. It is lucky that I didn't turn up.

The NHS is not free. It is free at point of use, it is funded by taxpayers ie most of the population. Free at point of use is key otherwise healthcare is denied to those who cannot afford it.
auntybee I have worked in the NHS and was told by a person who was responsible for the provision of statistics never to believe them. I have to say that it did seem at times that the NHS was run for the convenience of staff rather than patients.
Not being allowed in with relatives who are being assessed is also the practice in our general hospital. I accompanied my DH to hospital following an emergency and the ambulance driver told me to wait 20 mins and if no one comes to get me then go in. That's what I did.

I agree with you, seacliff, but if they don’t show up, who’s going to call on them to collect the fee?

There must be a way of making people more responsible. I hate the way the NHS is abused.

I agree. Our dental surgery will write to you if you miss 3 appointments, and advise that you will be removed from the NHS list. Maybe doctor surgeries should do the same.

It isn’t just the NHS who have No Shows. Anything that is free at point of use may be abused.
At CAB we had three out of four No Shows for yesterday afternoon’s appointments, yet other people are not able to get the appointments they need within a short timescale.
It is just wrong, totally inconsiderate and selfish.

" Targets " is a word I never thought I'd ever see concerning a hospital. In the world of selling,yes, but not in an establishment where you have hundreds/thousands who are going into A&E with varying illnesses and injuries, each one being different and so affording individual treatments etc, meaning that each member of staff is " timed " on their efforts in getting patients attended to as quickly ? as possible to meet a certain target in clearing queues and backlogs.
This is highly impossible and totally unfair !
How would any of us feel being part of a target ? Being rushed through your symptoms ? The way GP surgeries are conducted with 7min per patient ? Which is why many go to A&E to get a proper diagnosis resulting in a very long wait.

The government has interfered with far too many areas of our vital heritages-----schools, hospitals, transport, businesses and the results of their interference has shown.
We used to be the best in the world !! No thanks to them we no longer are.

I have an upcoming appt next month for a mammogram which I can’t make. I have tried ringing the number on my letter but no one answering. I shall continue to try to get through but I can see why there end up being missed appts!

Hi Apegirl - I don't mean to collect a fee after a no show.

I was suggesting a charge up front when you first book an appointment. Pay by card over phone. When you make the appointment, the charge is refunded. If no show, the NHS keep the money.

I realise it's a lot of work, and a cost to the person initially , but we are lucky to have the NHS. We should respect it or lose it. Some private clinics do this.

Teetime
Referring to your post a page back - if you have dizziness and palpitations, you need to see your GP fairly soon.
It could be due to something mild, but it could also be a symptom of a cardiac arrhythmia. That’s serious if left untreated!

Abroad is a very wide concept. In Denmark we do not have to pay for any of the tests mentioned in this thread. All notifications are sent over the internet and contain a link where you can change the time of the appointment or say you don't want the test.

You would think people could manage to send an e-mail, won't you, but no, here too a lot of people just don't bother.

I have just answered a text from the hospital asking me to confirm my attendance next week.There is a number in cluded in the text to re arrange appointment if necessary also one to cancel if appointmnet no longer required.How much easier can they make it!! My Gp surgery has a menu which answers when you ring and this includes pressing button number 5 a automatic voice then asks you to give your name and details of appointment you wish to cancel, you dont need to speak to a human to cancel. People i fear are just to lazy half the time to be proactive.

I must admit it is hospital appointments that suffer most in the evemt of a no show. I had an 11.00 am appointment on a Sunday. Clinic started at 9.0. They called me at 9.20 and asked if i could go earlier......all appointments had cancelled. So they had consultant there with noone to see. I also went for a mammogram and they said there were always many bo shows. I think if people are ill or in pain then they go. But for preventative check ups they dismiss the importance and fail to cancel. Maybe we should trial an invite to make an appointment,with a refundable fee in these instances first. If it works, then roll it out across the board. Another option could be if you miss an appointment then you must pay for the next one.

Having a congenital disability and now being confined to a wheelchair I have been in and out of hospital all my life and the way people treat the NHS these days disgusts me. I don’t think enough is done to educate the public as to what a wonderful thing the NHS is. Those people who have never had much reason to use the NHS don’t realise what a unique and valuable service we all have at our disposal - until they have cause to need it and then a lot of the time they treat it with a careless sense of entitlement. Missed appointments cost the service a fortune which is reflected in the amount of text and phone reminders we’re flooded with these days. In addition just the need to display zero tolerance notices regarding abuse of NHS staff in hospital and surgery waiting rooms is a sad reflection on our society and one that should make us all ashamed. I also find it appalling that ambulance chasing solicitors are allowed to advertise in hospitals. I have a theory which you may or may not agree with. I’m willing to bet that abuse of NHS staff has got worse since the advent of medical soap operas on TV. This rubbish often depicts patients talking to consultants and other staff with a total lack of respect, and frequently shows the most appalling behaviour. I think this carries at least some of the blame for people’s unrealistic expectations and subsequent abuse of the system. I sometimes watch some of the scenarios depicted open mouthed, because I know from experience that these things just don’t happen in real life. The danger is, that those people without much experience in this area see this as ordinary and acceptable. I also think the shows are partly to blame for people taking legal action against the NHS - they see storylines where patients threaten to sue for the flimsiest of reasons and think it’s the norm for making a few bob. Don’t misunderstand me - where negligence is proved then legal redress should be available but doctors are not infallible - they don’t know everything and I think our expectations seem to be getting more and more unrealistic, along with a sense of entitlement to monetary recompense. Again, this is a matter of personal responsibility. If you can foresee a problem why wait until it becomes a crisis ? Surely it’s better to sort it out before someone suffers, rather than wait and then sue after the event. I could go on and on. Someone mentioned increased NI contributions - all well and good but the NHS also has it’s in house problems with waste to sort out before that can happen. I’m old school and old enough to remember when the NHS was run by the medical profession. It worked much better and in my opinion medical staff and equipment are more important than clipboard carrying managers - especially in times of austerity.

I can't understand it either. They obviously don't care, do they? When my parents were young there was no NHS and patients didn't 'bother the doctor' unless it was serious.
I wonder if the NHS have ever done a survey of 'no-shows' to see if there is a common thread. If you don't go to some dentists for around 18 months I believe that you get dumped but the NHS can hardly do that, can they?

It’s so annoying, it’s the same with our dentist, they will strike you off if you miss 3 appointments.

Miamax5 I did ring the first couple of years that I didn't want to keep an appointment (I had one the first year) and once I got through and the person taking the call was quite brusque, almost as if I was wasting her time and the second time I had the same experience as you. I don't remember there being any other way to cancel but phone.
I think emailing appointment is a good idea for those who are online which is most people nowadays.

My cousin has just had part of her bowel removed because she did not use the bowel cancer testing kit sent to her. It would have picked up on the early stages and she could have avoided the surgery, chemo and radio therapy she is now going
through. It is so simple to do as well.

Teetime, please see your GP with your symptoms. It could be serious and easily sorted. I have had the same symptoms and now reluctantly take meds but they are better than the alternative. It may be nothing in your case but please don't risk it.

Flu jabs are toxic and only 2to 4% effective So a big load on the liver with Mercury Aluminium and Formaldehyde and also animal by products.
Poo sticks can lead to colonoscopy using Moviprep laced with sweeteners and again poisonous to the system. I have personal experience of this and will never knowingly allow sweeteners in my system ever again. Ask why if interested.
So I don’t think it’s irresponsible.
Mammograms can lead to cancer there are other ways now to check without the dangers. Switzerland doesn’t use mammograms any more.
You can have ultrasound MRI. or medical thermography whic is best catches problems earlier and is entirely safe.
We are frightened into using conventional medical procedures without knowing we have choices to be responsibly healthily

Such a waste of time and money. I work in bowel screening and can truly say we, the staff, would far rather know if someone is not going to turn up - so we can plan our work load / day. We are not there to try to change someone’s mind.

I wouldn’t have a mammogram if you paid me. To have your boobs painfully squeezed and then zapped with radiation 1000 times stronger than a chest x-ray is asking for trouble.
It causes a lot of cancers. There are other ways best is medical thermography