"8 month delay in follow up after eye operation at Ormskirk Hospital"

I had a cataract operation last year and the surgeon wanted to see me to check the eye pressure in January 2009.

This appointment was cancelled, and I have just attended the new appointment which was rescheduled for September 2009. The doctor was very annoyed and said the appointment should not have been delayed for so long.

Apparently under the old system the ward dealt with appointments and they would look at the records and assesss the clinical need. Now everything is done centrally and the secretaries do not have access to the patients' records.

This seems to be a case of the new system not being as good as the old one - impersonal instead of responsive treatment.

Fortunately the eye pressure was ok, but it could have been very serious if treatment had been delayed for 9 months.