"Frustrating, more 19th century than 21st"

What I liked

I had a accident Friday 5th August. This was almost identical to one a year earlier: both times a motorist said the sun was in their eyes so they did not see me before they hit me. Both times police and ambulance attended. First time was to East Surrey, the second to Crawley. What a contrast.

I was skaken up after being smeared across the road then a half hour ambulance ride. I wanted a cigarette to sooth my nerves. East Surrey told me - their tax-paying customer - that if I went outside for a cigarette they would not treat me but instead note that I had discharged myself voluntarily. Not being at death's door (though we bruised and bloody) I told them to note and be damned.

But Crawley was magic. Everyone sympathised with my wanting a cigarette after such a shake-up. Friendly, treated me like a person instead of a politically incorrect statistic. Got sewn up by a nurse who was so friendly I lend her some House DVDs to improve her one-liners.

Regards, Peter S

What could be improved

But - there had to be a "but" - I just called to make an appointment to have taken out the stitches inserted at Crawley. After a long, long phone call involving my DOB, address, phone number and NHS number some overly officious operator told me - as if speaking to a child - I could not be treated at Crawley because I was not registered in Crawley.

Say what??? Now I have to take time off work to travel to a local surgery for what out to be a five minute job. It's still NHS staff and money, I'm still a "customer" yet I have yo inconvenience myself and my employer for this almost biblical bureaucracy.

Why? All those billions spent on consultants and mega computer systems yet you cannot cope with the trivial conflict between postal address and physical location during working hours. Pathetic.

But now I know what to do next time. Just fake a foreign accent and lie about my DOB and

address and Presto! Treatment at a mutually suitable time at Crawley.

Anything else?

Web site designed by an idiot. Say upfront about user name limits and what's already been used, not right at the end.