This is how cr*p the NHS adminstration is. They need a good shaking out and re-organisation.

Letters! One from the GP telling me they have put me on the waiting list, one from the hospital saying the same, plus a text message, plus an email (I did opt for paperless)
Six mhs later and all 4 again giving me an appointment for the general surgery dept, which is NOT what my referral was for!!

petra

I could cry as to what’s happening in our NHS.
In the past two weeks 2 close friends have come close to being seriously ill.
One was with a dentist who did such an awful job of an abscess and refused her an appointment 3 days later when she was still in agony.
She was fortunate enough to get an appointment with another surgery who told her im phoning the dentist dept at a hospital and I want you to go NOW
The other friend had an accident with a drill ( through his finger) Treated at A&E.
A few days later he had a lot of pain going up his arm and across his back. We are fortunate in that we have a walk in clinic.
The first words from the Doctor were who did this They had done such an awful job of cleaning it up.
This poor man is already fighting a negligence case over the death of his father. 😥
I hope you get this disgraceful situation sorted MOnica

1. Dentists now have NHS guidelines NOT to prescribe anti-biotics for abcess but to remove tooth (as if that would actually fix the infection).
Doctors now have guidelines to refuse antibiotics and refer to dentist. Tell your doc that you have a throat/mouth infection.
2. I had jaw correction 20 years ago. At the time, I was give retainer correctors to wear ongoing. Due to an accident my teeth were reset incorrectly in A&E and my corrector no longer fits, but the hospital now "do not provide that service" and it will cost me £60 just to see a dentist who may be able to do so

sadgrandmasounds like DD's experience. We were with her, at the local hospital at 7.00am. The receptionist looked us blankly and told us to sit down, 30 minutes later she was called to reception. There was the consultant. It seemed his operating session had been cancelled the previous day, DD and one other had not been told. Neither had the surgeon!!!

He was a very nice man but also assertive and authorative. He told the administrator firmly that as he and two patients were there. They would be getting their operations and he would be doing them. He was right. They did get their operations and he did do them.

M0nica, they have given themselves until December 28th, is is for them to honour that. If they do not you have every right to escalate your complaint. In England you can do this by complaining directly to NHS England complaints team and/or the PHSO (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman).

Unfortunately I could write a book about the NHS wrong doings over the last forty years, so it’s not a new thing. but it’s certainly a lot worse recently.
My friend had an MRI last week only to be told afterwards it wasn’t for her at all, hers should have been in three months time. They just said not to worry they’d put the report on her file anyway, unbelievable!
I have no faith in the system whatsoever.

theworriedwell

Allira I wonder who did the outsourcing as this isn't national. My local surgery does the contact.rarely by letter if you have email. They also text and use the phone.

I don't know. It was for DH's Covid and flu vaccinations but the letter arrived two days after the date of the appointment. Mine, same surname, same address and for an appointment four days after his, had arrived three days before DH's!

Allira I wonder who did the outsourcing as this isn't national. My local surgery does the contact.rarely by letter if you have email. They also text and use the phone.

I have recently had an experiences of NHS administrative incompetence. I was booked in for as a day case at my local hospital for an operation, this had previously been cancelled at the last minute after I had waited there all day. When I arrived and gave my name to the receptionist she looked at me blankly and, at that moment, I suspected that something was wrong. Yep I had been booked at a different hospital! I was asked if I could go to the other hospital but I said no as it was miles away so we then set off to go home. However, halfway there I received a call from the surgeon who was extremely apologetic and said she was trying to get a team together to do my operation at the original hospital so could I go back to the hospital. To my amazement she managed to get an anaesthetist, nurses etc together and they drove over to do my operation. I was amazed that she would do this and so pleased that I wasn’t cancelled again. I just hope that the administrator responsible was reprimanded and made aware of the inconvenience she had caused to not only me but the wonderful surgeon and her team.

Solicitor's letters cost money. This case is not one I am going to spend money on, but I am going to contact my local MP.

I am now wondering if a solicitors letter would help "kick them up the bum" into efficiency. One shouldnt have to pay for such a letter - just because they aren't getting their act together. But maybe that might help.

Hmmm....just remembered that certainly a good way to deal with the public sector in the past was to get an MP to write a suitable letter to them - at which point they would panic and deal with it pronto......am guessing that still applies...

theworriedwell

I don't think there is such a thing as "the NHS administration". Surely it varies between surgeries, hospital trusts etc. The admin at this particular hospital sounds poor. I've found the admin at my local surgery and hospital to be excellent.

The receptionist at our surgery complained that they are not allowed to deal with some of the communications sent to patients, they are outsourced which has led to mistakes.

theworriedwell

I don't think there is such a thing as "the NHS administration". Surely it varies between surgeries, hospital trusts etc. The admin at this particular hospital sounds poor. I've found the admin at my local surgery and hospital to be excellent.

I think appointments at least, are sent out by a contractor which is located nowhere near our NHS Trust.

I remember when Consultants' letters were being typed up in India, sent electronically then returned here to be (supposedly) checked, signed and posted. Does it still happen?

I don't think there is such a thing as "the NHS administration". Surely it varies between surgeries, hospital trusts etc. The admin at this particular hospital sounds poor. I've found the admin at my local surgery and hospital to be excellent.

SueDonim

Is this of any help, Monica? ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

It’s a shocking breech of privacy, IMO.

Thank you so much for the link Sue Donim.

I rang them up, spoke to a most helpful lady and as a result sent her an email explaining the situation and including sending the chain of emails that have passed between me and the hospital.

Obviously they have to be very guarded and non-committal in their response to me, but the impression I get is that the ICO will be in contact with the hospital tomorrow if not today. I should then get a further response from the ICO.

How deluded could get. I have had a standard reply from the ICO. They will respond sometime in the next 6 months.

So much for the Data Protection Act it is all b*lls.

MaizieD

I think you're getting responses from a chatbot, MOnica 🤥

No far to stupid to be a Chatbot.

MaizieD

I think you're getting responses from a chatbot, MOnica 🤥

May very well be - from the tone of it...

I think you're getting responses from a chatbot, MOnica 🤥

A few years ago I received a letter from my consultant, telling me that Mrs. X had now passed away.
The letter should have been sent to a different consultant, and certainly not to me.
I sent the letter back to my own consultant, with a covering note. He was very grateful, but really, this should never have happened.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I’m just sick of everyone calling it ‘our’ NHS. It stopped being ‘ours’ years ago.

I realised that when the times I can pick up my medication have changed, not to suit the patient, nor apparently the staff, but by decree of 'Management'. Now it's a 35 mile trip in the rush hour. They refuse to deliver it to the nearest hub hospital although there are daily deliveries of medications there.

I wish I could say I was shocked. For years, again and again, the NHS repeatedly confused me with my late mum though the only thing we had in common was our surname.
I agree with others who have said write to your MP and the newspapers. While you do need to sort this out for your own benefit, taking it as far as you can will protect others…..hopefully.

cornergran I remember when my MIL was in hospital, being treated for pneumonia. We visited and realised she had been starved 24 hours and was going to be given a barium meal in preparation for a colonoscopy. When I asked the sister in charge why, when she did not have any bowel problems but had pneumonia I was told the colonoscopy would show them a lot. It turned out they'd mixed her up with the woman in the bed opposite, someone had mixed up the notes at the end of the bed.

Is this of any help, Monica? ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

It’s a shocking breech of privacy, IMO.

I’m just sick of everyone calling it ‘our’ NHS. It stopped being ‘ours’ years ago.

I'd contact your MP and copy in Wes Streeting.

M0nica

Tizliz I will absolutely to nothing to contact this patient. His name and test results, which I would not dream of looking at, are absolutely safe with me, as is his privacy. I did not even mention his name in my email to the hospital.

I was sure you would not do this