"Record patients' preferred appointment times"

Can the NHS admin systems not try to allocate appointments at the most work friendly times to those who are working and particularly to those with little employment protection and ongoing health issues resulting in multiple appointments.

Having lost my permanent job at least in part due to a slow diagnosis and delays in getting the most appropriate treatment, I am now forced to try and support myself in low-paid, insecure temporary work.

NHS staff are probably unaware of how unsupportive the majority of employers are when it comes to time off. They will often dispense with a temp for the whole week if they are going to miss a whole afternoon for a hospital appointment. Because all health services are focussed around where you live not where you work travel from work to hospital can take well over an hour each way increasing the time off work for no logical reason.

When I arrived for a 9:20 appointment I found the elderly lady with an appointment before mine complaining that she'd been given such an early slot as later was much more convenient for her! Surely a field for patient preferences would help to avoid such scenarios?