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Long wait for appointment at North Devon, but staff lovely o...

Posted By Flits34

"Long wait for appointment at North Devon, but staff lovely once seen"

About: North Devon District Hospital

(as the patient),

I went to the North Devon outpatients to see a consultant. The clinic was running 45 minutes late. I really wish that I had been kept informed of the delay. If you’re anxious, waiting for an unknown amount of time makes things worse. However, once I was seen, the staff were all lovely.

I also feel it’s a long way for us to come to get to North Devon – I would like to use South Molton community hospital instead. I had been waiting for my consultation, and wanted an appointment as soon as possible. They called me to say they had a cancellation, and I could come for an appointment in 15 minutes – but we travel for 45 minutes to get there, so that was impossible. Then once we get to the hospital, the parking is stressful and expensive. If only they had more clinics at South Molton.

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Responses

Response from Jayne Kruszewski, Patient Experience Manager, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 11 years ago
Jayne Kruszewski
Patient Experience Manager,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 09/08/2012 at 12:43
Published on Care Opinion at 15:47

Dear Flits34

Many thanks for taking the time to post your comments regarding your outpatients appointment. Please accept my apologies for not replying sooner.

I'm really sorry to see that we were experiencing delays with the clinic that day, and that you werent informed . I do appreciate how frustrating a wait - no matter how long - can add to your anxiety, and its certainly not helped by not being kept in the picture.

We do try to let our patients know if we are running late, although sometimes it can be difficult to predict how long the wait will be - however we clearly didnt get it right on this occasion! I have passed your feedback to the outpatient manager to ensure all staff are reminded of the importance of keeping patients informed of delays. On a brighter note I am very glad that you found the staff helpful and pleasant when you were eventually seen.

I note your comment regarding the provision of clinics in the community hospitals, and without more specific information I am unable to answer this point. If you would like to give us more specific feedback please contact our PALS department on 01271 314090 who will be happy to support you further.

Jayne

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