"Outpatients appointment cancelled with 24 hours..."

I am normally a big NHS fan but words fail me as my son's appointment (we have waited 6 months for) was cancelled with 24 hours notice. Not only was this a huge inconvenience to us, but also the NHS. We were told that there was no doctor to run the clinic, I understand that circumstances beyond hospitals control sometimes happen, but were they no doctors at all to run the clinic, no senior house offices to deal with the more routine checks, what about the nursing staff, the audiology staff, the office staff dealing with lots of upset patients, all the notes I imagine would have been pulled out ready and appointment letters typed and sent. Not only did some poor lady get the job of calling everyone who's appointment was cancelled, she then had to offer alternative ones (nearly a month later in our case). Then we received a letter in the post apologising for the cancellation then along with the letter confirming our new appointment. And I wonder why the NHS has problems. It's not the office staff, support staff, nursing staff's fault its the management structures and policies in place that are failing their employees and its consumers.