NHS Inefficiency

pinkshoes

Babies get a check up between 8 and 12 months, which you get sent a letter in the post about, with an appointment date/time.

Mine arrived, and sod's law it was for the day I return to work. It said on the form that if you couldn't make it, phone to book a new appointment.

So I phoned up, told them I was going back to work that day, and they said they'd "send another appointment out in the post".

Huh?! I couldn't book another appointment on the phone, and couldn't even put a note on the file to say what days I can attend!!

Who on earth came up with that system?! What a waste of effort, paperwork and stamps!

No wonder the NHS requires SO much money if they can't even get the basics right!

piglet25

If its with the health visitor, just go to clinic when its on with your red book, if its at the docs then just make a normal appt for your child x

marywooyeah

I'd follow the advice from the above post, but agree it's annoying. I was working 4 half days a week, full time uni and had my DS and needed a HV. they wouldnt send one out, I "had" to go to clinic, all the times they were on I was either at work or uni so couldnt go and explained this, the woman huffed and her exact words were "if you actually cared about your son you'd take a day off". I was shocked but really upset aswell - how dare she insinuate that I don't care about him? my old HV used to come to the house so why can't a new one - why do I have to traipse over there and either lose a mornings pay or miss a few uni classes which will create even more work for me to catch up on?!

I bet the one they send out is for a time you can't make either, it is a stupid system you should just be able to say "can I come x day at x time" and they tell you whether its possible or not

nickyhutch

Different areas must arrange these things differently, because that wouldn't happen where I work. You'd be able to make an appointment to suit.

stiltwalker

I got another classic when I rang to change the 7 week appointment I'd been sent from the docs for my son. Spoke to lass at the docs and said I couldn't make it before 2.30pm as I live in a small village and my OH is at work til 2 with the car (we only have 1 so need him to get back before I can take the kids out), I have 2 non walking children (hypermobile 2 year old and newborn) and the buses round here are so old there are not access ones so you have to fold pushchair up and carry it on, difficult with 1 non walking, impossible with 2! Ever so helpfully she explains that they only do the appointment in the morning but she can make a special one in the circumstances and would I like her to mke an appointments for his 8 weeks jabs while I'm on the phone? I tell her that would be very helpful and she asks me if 11.30 am on such and such a day is ok???? erm... der!

fluffnutter

I doubt it's NHS policy, rather that particular area's admin (I won't say PCT because they don't exist any more). As the NHS becomes less and less centrally controlled, this kind of thing will just get worse as different areas invent their own bizarre rules. And heaven help you if you need coordination across different areas or departments

Lip_Stick

Does this one count?

Took my son for his 6 month check with an ENT specialist. He has grommets, and one was blocked so the ENT gave me a sheet of paper with details of ear drops he'd need.

He told me I could either take it to my docs or go to somewhere like Asda if I'm registered and get it over the counter with the minor ailments scheme. I head over to Asda, wait 10 mins and go back. The assistant told me the drops couldn't be given as he has grommets and it has to be done through the docs.

I go to the docs and hand over the letter. I'm told to return after 48hrs to pick up the prescription. The doc doesn't even see my son, so what is the point in bothering going there? Surely the ENT is knowledgeable enough to know whether my son needs the drops or not?

Azari

marywooyeah wrote: »

my old HV used to come to the house so why can't a new one - why do I have to traipse over there and either lose a mornings pay or miss a few uni classes which will create even more work for me to catch up on?!

You should have told them: "I want to make an appointment with the health visitor - the clue is in the name".

Jemster01

I know the NHS can be frustrating and it's not set up for the convenience of the patient (I work alongside an NHS team and have recently had 2 procedures on an inpatient basis), but that's because there are so many patients and significant cuts to services. I'm just glad that it's still free!

nickyhutch

marywooyeah wrote: »

I'd follow the advice from the above post, but agree it's annoying. I was working 4 half days a week, full time uni and had my DS and needed a HV. they wouldnt send one out, I "had" to go to clinic, all the times they were on I was either at work or uni so couldnt go and explained this, the woman huffed and her exact words were "if you actually cared about your son you'd take a day off". I was shocked but really upset aswell - how dare she insinuate that I don't care about him? my old HV used to come to the house so why can't a new one - why do I have to traipse over there and either lose a mornings pay or miss a few uni classes which will create even more work for me to catch up on?!

I bet the one they send out is for a time you can't make either, it is a stupid system you should just be able to say "can I come x day at x time" and they tell you whether its possible or not

You don't HAVE to see the HV, you know.

HVs and CNNs (Community Nursery Nurses) where I work do primary visits, follow ups and assessments. They are trying to cut down on the number of these that are done at home (some have to be, don't get me wrong) because of the expense - mileage, time spent travelling, no-access visits and time spent out of the office/clinic. If they call people into clinic, they can see perhaps 8 babies'toddlers in a morning (if they turn up, which is another issue), whereas if they go out on visits, they will maybe manage 4. If they're in the office clinic and get no-shows, then they can at least be getting on with other stuff, too.

Please don't get me wrong - I don't necessarily agree with all this, but while the NHS is strapped and has to make efficiency savings, options like this need to be looked at.

I agree, too, that rather than send appointments out that people can't make or forget about and don't bother cancelling, they should send a letter out saying that an assessment is due and inviting the parent to telephone to make a convenient appointment. In fact, ours are going to trial this.

pinkshoes

I think it's a regional system for the NHS, which is obviously just rubbish. I have seen the HV for something else recently, but for this one I need to go to the official appointment.

Still no new letter, so will phone them again on Monday just to check they remembered to cancel the old one, as otherwise I'll get accused of missing appointments.

It just seems a waste of resource having such an inefficient system. Budgets have been cut, so why aren't they trying to save money in simple areas? She could clearly see the appointment on the screen, so if she'd just been able to cancel and book me in to one I could make, then it would have saved the time to print out another letter, the cost of another stamp etc... If you multiply this by 100s, the costs soon add up!