"Outpatient clinic"

Anything else?

Overall staff are very friendly, informative and provided good care. However the organisaiton around the outpatient clinic I attented was very poor. My appointment per the confirmation letter was 9.30. I attended just before this time and at which point I was told I needed an x-ray which I then went to get. 20 mintues later I returned to the clinic to wait to see a consultant/clinician about my x-ray results (one positive is that they are transferred electronically around the hospital). 40 minutes later I was seen by my consultant/clinician to review my results. If this is standard procedure I would like to be notified in advance so I can make sure I am able to return to work at an accurate time, rather than it being over an hour later than planned. My letter implied my appointment would be at 9.30, not 10.30. It would be helpful if the Trust's letters could clarify the timings involved to patients in advance. People have jobs and committments and do not have the luxury of having a few hours spare on a weekday morning to wait around for an appointment which does not happen until an hour after the specified time. Furthermore, when ringing to book the initial appointment (why this cannot be done online in this day and age is a mystery) I was told the appointment was at the Chase Farm site. Once recieving my letter and double checking the night before, it stated Barnet. At the clinic I attended there were also a number of people turning up to the wrong hopsital site for their appointments. Surely the location of the clinic should be explicit and consistent, with no mixed messages, otherwise this is just a waste of patient and hospital time.