Booking
an appointment
Small rant!
The optician advised me to book a blood cholesterol test, so on Wednesday I submitted an online request and was informed that I would be contacted within twenty-four hours.
On Friday, not having heard anything, I ‘phoned the medical practice. I was number nineteen on the list, but was offered the option of pressing 1 and told I would not lose my place in the queue and would receive a call back. I waited patiently, making sure my ‘phone was in easy reach at all times. After an hour, I lost all concentration and moved onto other things. There was no call back.
I decided I would start again on Monday and sit on the ‘phone until I achieved my objective. This morning, in my email, the following message appeared:
Please DO NOT reply to this email address as it
will NOT be delivered to your healthcare provider.
Dear Mrs Cooke,
All our clinicians will be operating an Urgent
only service on 22 & 23 Sept for issues that cannot wait.
You’ll be able to submit requests directly through
our website using Rapid Health from Wed 24 Sept. Please see attached for
further information.
Thank you,
To view your attachment, please follow this link: https://accurx.nhs.uk/c/p-s7hf8qr6vw
Ringmead Medical Group
However, I will not be attempting to use the new ‘Rapid Health’ system on Wednesday that is replacing the ‘Klinik’ system, as the link tells me it is not for routine appointments. I haven’t got anything else to do on Wednesday, so will sit on the ‘phone and wait, listening to the awful, mind-numbing musak and the oft-repeated messages about emergencies. Thank goodness I don’t go out to work any longer.
Heaven help
those who have urgent requirements!
Ouch! That is so frustrating. Our military hospital system is often exhausting too and I despise their website where you have to change your password every 3 months. I hate passwords.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your rant 100 % Janice. It is the same here in my small rural town in New Zealand. You get in a queue & you listen to awful music & the message that reminds you that they haven't forgotten you. Then when you finally DO get through, after waiting for simply ages ... you get a person with an accent that you cannot understand & they cannot understand YOU either. It is enough to drive us to drink (& then we'd really have health problems that no one could ever see us about!!!) 😉😖
ReplyDeleteThis is an unfriendly system. My doctors have an online patient portal to handle practically everything including appointments. It's much better and doesn't waste my time.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the system of being able to get such things tested at 'participating pharmacies'? I recall having cholestrol, blood glucose markers, blood pressure etc test done at the pharmacy in our nearest Tesco when I lived in London.
ReplyDeleteThe powers that be have created a pathetic system.
ReplyDeleteIt's highly frustrating, isn't it? And just as bad in the US. You have my sincere sympathy.
ReplyDeleteCan you not just go to the clinic and make an appointment in person? It seems like an awful system there. I have a clinic just a few minutes walk away and on the same block across a parking lot are the places where you get blood drawn, x-rays and skin checks for sun cancers, there's even a dentist there.
ReplyDeleteI am glad your optician noticed whatever change happens in the eyes indicating high cholesterol. They can spot diabetes that way too, it's how my mum found out she was diabetic.