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.
ReplyDeleteThat seems a bit excessive. Security, I suppose.
DeleteI 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!!!) 😉😖
ReplyDelete🍷🍷🍷
DeleteThis 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.
ReplyDeleteOur practice was 'in measures' and has been trying to improve. The receptionists are tearing their hair out, when we finally reach one, and they're fed up with being abused.
DeleteWhat 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.
ReplyDeleteWho knows? We had our last jabs at a pharmacy, but the next ones are at a 'community hub.' We've never been offered blood tests anywhere other than the practice or a hospital.
DeleteThe powers that be have created a pathetic system.
ReplyDeleteIndeed they have.
DeleteIt's highly frustrating, isn't it? And just as bad in the US. You have my sincere sympathy.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to vary so much across the country - there are small patches of excellence and very large ones of incompetence/indifference.
DeleteCan 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.
That's what I'm wondering . . .
DeleteYes, what River said above. The linked form is interesting to me, as here we cannot give a month as 2. It has to be 02. A sample date would be 05/02/1998.
ReplyDeleteEven the date information varies from place to place,
DeleteIt's so frustrating. Our practice has been required to change to econsult. To be honest, if I was ill I wouldn't be well enough to complete the forms... but the practice has always got back to me the same day so far.
ReplyDeleteThat's heartening to hear for you.
DeleteIn urgent circumstances, my husband will give test results straight away, even if he has to send the results to the family and not to the referring doctor.
ReplyDeleteWell done, your husband. 👍
DeleteOh boy, that's terrible. It just makes me know how lucky I am to be living in this little backwater where we know all the medical people by name. Our blood 'technician' can't remember the name, makes house calls!
ReplyDeleteThat has to be one of the best reasons to live in a small community.
DeleteThe whole process of getting any appointment is such a nightmare, I felt this one.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for small children who often need instant treatment.
DeleteIt works for the practice but not for the general public, so to them it's a win, our daughters surgery is a nightmare to see a doctor, even with a disabled son, they always call back just after 5pm (so no help all day) and tell daughter to take him to A&E, they have a fast track for his disabilities, it's so wrong. Our surgery, you can't call it's all done online, unless you are registered as requiring help, BUT my issue is they often message you back without any way for us to reply back, which then often requires another online form. River suggests you go to practice in person to book an appointment, in our surgery it's not allowed.
ReplyDeleteIt almost feels as though a barrier is being erected between 'us' and 'them.' It's wrong.
DeleteGetting thru to doctors for any reason today is causing health risk of it's own kind, high blood pressure and ear ache from the "phone noise". Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYes, mental health issues . . .
DeleteHow frustrating.
ReplyDeleteIt is.
DeleteI recognise your frustration. My health care centre has a call-back system too but one has to be up early to put in one's call to get a chance at all... Or at least that was still the case last time I tried. There is also an online system for things like requesting a repeat prescription - but using that I've found more than once that they seem to just ignore any additional comments one tries to make. The other day I got a text message on my phone to say they've booked me in for a doctor's appointment in October - but no info about what for, or which doctor. I assume it's for a long overdue annual checkup (nowadays more like 18+ months checkup). But those usually involve going to the lab for tests a couple of weeks before, and there was no mention of that. So just now I'm wondering if perhaps that info will still come as usual by post - and how long will be considered reasonable to wait for that before I try calling to ask them if they just assume that I'll know that after all these years, or if they've changed the test routines too...
ReplyDeleteThe chances are that the letter, if any, will arrive after the appointment has been attended. That happens a lot.
DeleteI'll give it a week to see if the usual info arrives by post before I try tackling the adventure of calling them to ask... ;-)
DeleteThat’s not a good system at all.
ReplyDeleteThey keep tinkering with it, and the poor receptionists take the flak.
DeleteThis ‘Rapid Health’ system has not been correctly named!!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be anything but rapid!!!
On a more positive note;
yes, it is so important to have regular eye checks because opticians can often detect changes in the eyes which may need further investigation.
Keep-on in your task (on Wednesday) to get an appointment to get your blood test done.
All the best Jan
I will persevere, you may be sure.
DeleteThey think this modernization makes things smoother but it's just more nonsense.
ReplyDeleteIt adds more layers of confusion and frustration.
DeleteUgh, that's frustrating. I hope you finally get through to book your appointment
ReplyDeleteI will, or die in the attempt!
DeleteThat sounds frustrating. I've never had to have blood work done except as ordered by my primary care doctor, who sends the order to the lab electronically.
ReplyDeletePrimary care doctor? What's that? That's one of the main complaints, I gather, that people cannot see the same doctor each time.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lord. The bureaucracy of the NHS! I can identify with your comment above -- I almost never get the same doctor when I go to our local medical practice.
ReplyDeleteYou mean, you actually see a real-life doctor? That's a rarity.
DeleteHow frustrating! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt is.
Deleteso sorry
ReplyDeleteIt could be worse. It's just annoying.
DeleteFrustrating, especially since some administrators would call this "efficiency" or worse yet, "progress" Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThey keep trying different systems and they just don't work.
DeleteVery frustrating! I had to make a medical appointment back in August and was told I couldn't get my actual appointment until October.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, just suffer . . . it's not good enough.
Deleteit is frustrating to be caregiver of hubby and a huge part of that is attempting to make appts... it doesn't help that there are way to many people here for the number of doctors we can see, months to wait for appts.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy. Where do all the doctors go?
DeleteQuite frustrating! I hope you got through in the end
ReplyDeleteAll sorted now - at last!
ReplyDelete