" The doctors and nurses are ok it's the administrative side causing problems"

Every person I have met has a different opinion about the working of NHS. The only way to find out the true position would be to collate opinions of all patients and try to reach some conclusion after analysing them.

In my humble opinion, the nurses and the consultants are OK. As they are human beings, some are nicer than others. However I have encountered problems on the administrative side...

There is a room for improvement in the appointment system. It might help if all appointments are made at one place. The appointments should be in accordance with the wishes of the patients.

Sometimes I have trouble in getting a surgery appointment. When I try to ring, I find that the line is busy and remains busy for a long time. All appointments should be accepted and placed in a queue.

I have had trouble getting a hospital appointment as well. Once I had to wait for more than 6 months to get an appointment for Medway Eye Clinic. I suffer from glaucoma and see the consultant regularly at Medway Hospital. However, some time ago, I was denied appointment at Medway Hospital for some unknown reason. The authorities insisted that I could only get the appointment at Maidstone Hospital.

I would like to point out that I am an old person and suffer from arthritis. I live only a few yards away from Medway Hospital.

My experience with the Emergency Situation is not a happy one. It is very difficult to call a doctor at night. Once I was able to make the appointment but the doctor did not turn up. We had to wait all night for the arrival of the doctor. I have visited Accidents and Emergency department a few times. I had to wait for a very long time. Minimum waiting time is 3 hours.