"In my case the appointments system ..."

What could be improved

In my case the appointments system is totally inadequate. I am receiving treatment for breast cancer which has spread to my spine. Because of pain, medication for this, and the fact that I live some distance away from the hospital, I am unable to attend morning appointments. I keep being given these appointments even though I have complained. No one has been able to break the intransigence of the appointments system for me despite my writing to the chief executive on two occasions. On my last appointment, I was just able to attend at noon but was not seen by a doctor until 1.15pm and not given my treatment until 2.20pm. I was in great pain during this waiting time. I fail to see therefore, why I am being bullied into attending in the mornings. The staff at Doncaster keep passing my comments to the staff at Weston Park hospital at Sheffield, who in turn say the appointments cannot be changed to accomodate my difficulties. It is all unbelievably stressfull at a time when I have enough stress from the illness itself. I feel it would benefit other patients if the appointments system could be more accomodating to the needs of patients in keeping with current N.H.S policy in this area.