Sometimes it's better not to know things.

dreamdaisy

I don't often feel that way but on Tuesday I learned a fact about my local hospital that truly took my breath away.

Back in the good old days of my going to rheumatology the process went something like this. Let's say I had an appointment in January with a rheumatology nurse, I would leave that with a piece of paper and go and see the receptionists. They would read the request about the next appointment, fire up their systems and make it there and then: consultant in April. After that meeting I would leave with a piece of paper, go the receptionists, rheumatology nurse in July, appointment duly made. Come July, piece of paper, appointment with consultant in October, then the final one would be rheumatology nurse in January. The cycle would repeat.

Rheumatology have improved matters. I left my January appointment with my consultant with the necessary piece of paper, which was taken from me at reception with the announcement I would be sent an appointment but if I hadn't heard in six months I should contact them. On Tuesday I learned that they now send all the appointment requests to an outpost in Leicester, where some faceless individual may or may not make an appointment for me. I have to do the chasing. Obviously the old system was far too efficient and required far too much effort by the receptionists. Neither can you ring rheumatology direct now - well, you can but as the reception desk phone is set permanently to answerphone it can be tricky to get through.

So, they have farmed out my drug deliveries, leave me to do my injections (which is fine by me because it saves a deal of time) but they don't bother to let me know about my blood test results if they're OK and wont' necessarily bother to let me know whether I have an appointment or not. The department still continues to shut on Friday at 12.30, ostensibly for the consultants to make ward rounds. No wonder medical slang for rheumatology is rheumaholiday. DD

theresak

That's very unsatisfactory, DD, and far too open to error. It seems so silly to change a system that works for one that looks like an accident waiting to happen.

I have the system your hospital has abandoned - I leave with a piece of paper and my appointment card, to be handed in to reception,where a pleasant young lady hits a few buttons on her computer and asks what time of day I'd prefer my appointment to be.

I hope I don't find out this afternoon that my future appointments are at the mercy of someone in Leicester! (not that I have anything against the place.)

Slosh

That sounds ridiculous!

barbara12

DD I suspect this is what my NHS trust is doing, like you the appointments were made on the way out..now we have to wait, I have had to ring about 2 of them, has I didn't hear anything :roll: now could this be a ploy to cut down on appointments hoping people don't bother to ring..

As5567

At my old hospital we had the old style system you were talking about, it was nice to be given a choice of time and day, I used to always request to be seen first thing at 9AM to avoid having trouble to park and to not be waiting around all day. Now I just get a letter in the post eventually telling me when to turn up. I also have a useless rheumatology helpline which I can only leave a message on ONE day per week between 9 and 12. This is apparently due to budget cuts and that any issues I have should be dealt with by my GP at a first point of call.......my GP says otherwise.

I think this type of system is going to become the norm soon, at the outpatients department in the one hospital I attend they don't even have a reception desk to check-in any more, you either have to do it at the main reception of the hospital which is a good 5 minute walk or you have to do it via self service kiosk.

tkachev

Same here DD. I used to get appointments arranged when I came out of an appointment then I could say yay or nay, give preferable times and dates. Then they announced they would send out appointments but if you needed to make any changes the appointment would be set back by several months.

At the last appointment i could see the receptionist was confused so not sure if the appointments will arrive at all this time.

Elizabeth x

dreamdaisy

It doesn't help us to feel supported by those who are caring for us, does it? Even though I didn't want to be there the feeling of continuity was comforting, I got to know all the rheumatology nurses and they got to know me, they still say hello if I see them up at the hospital or in the town.

Apparently the whole department is unhappy: the number of patients continues to grow but they have run out of room in their part of the hospital, they desperately need another rheumatologist to help them cope with demand and two nurses have left. Middle management however, continues to expand and therein lies the trouble, methinks. Yes, early referral is a very good thing but, unlike other departments, rheumatology patients are in it for the very long haul; by the time I peg it it could be anything between thirty and forty years. :shock: Flaming Norah. DD

stickywicket

I've never seen a rheumatology nurse except to have my rear end punctured by steroid jabs. Neither was I ever given a choice of times in which to come.

My hospital switched some years back to the system of sending out appointment letters shortly before the required date. I always assumed it was an attempt to forestall missed appointments by those who had failed to note them in their diaries some months in advance. I've no idea whether it's done in-house or in Leicester but it's always worked OK and the consultant is clearly still in charge as I've occasionally had the time or date changed after the first letter has been received.

Both my rheumatologist and orthopaedic surgeon always ask me at the end of my appointments if I'm OK with the time gap suggested and both always emphasise that, if I've any problems in the interim, I must just ring up for a quick visit.

theresak

At the hospital I attend we always get an automated phone-call a few days before the appointment day to make sure we are actually keeping the appointment - apparently this has cut down on a lot of wasted appointments.