" Telephone appointment, I was on a fools errand"

Royal Devon and Exeter Appointment Answer Phone

I am really cross. I responded to the appointment referral and spoke to someone on 30/7/12 and they made me two appointments. For my knee, I specified I was to see the consultant as I had already been down the 'Specialist Physiotherapist' route and had all the MRI and x-ray etc and the Consultant was what my GP wanted.

When the letter came it was to see a SP again. I called and was given a number for the Orthopedic Dept at RD & E and no matter when I called the message said to either leave a number - which I did - or no answer at all. No one called back. Today 20/8/12 I have virtually sat on the phone much of the afternoon to Orthopedics and then Appointments. I was told repeatedly that I was first 'second in the queue' and when I gave up on that after an unmeasured time I tried the Orth Dept number again. Still no reply so I went back to Appointments.

I was told for 35mins that I was the next call to be answered. At 5. 05pm (ish) I phoned the same number on my mobile, just to be told that the appointments office shut at 5pm and to call again in office hours.This was despite the fact that my home phone connection was still telling me that I was the next call to be answered.

I know that we are all busy and your staff in all areas of the NHS are just wonderful but -and this is a big but - at least either get the appointments right first time or answer the phone.

I deeply regret that I am so mad that I have to write this letter. I, like countless others, owe my life to the wonderful NHS staff and my complaint is really about the waste of my time and phone money, the irritating ingratiating reassurance punctuated by Motzart of recorded messages and the inaccurate misleading drivel that encouraged me to carry on wasting my time depite the fact that I was on a fools errand.