"Waiting list chess games"

Referred for rapid access to a chest pain clinic after an abnormal ECG and high blood pressure, I was expecting to be seen within two weeks for assessment by a cardiologist. I needed to get my doctor to resubmit the referral after two weeks because I'd heard nothing after the referral. I received a call from the hospital's booking service to make an appointment 6 weeks away. What the person failed to tell me was that they were actually rescheduling an appointment in less than two weeks time. She also failed to tell me I'd need an echocardiogram before the appointment and failed to tell me this had been booked - I discovered this when I called again to see if I could advance the appointment six weeks away. If you can't meet government targets you should admit your failure and get help or recommend referring to hospitals where they can be looked after appropriately in urgent cases. It's shameful playing games with people's lives in this way.