Moorfields Appointments

[John Smith]

Has anyone else suffered at the hands of the Moorfields appointments system recently?

I had my last appointment with Ken back in June 2005. I had a six-month appointment date, and was given a date between Christmas and New Year.

In October I was posted a letter revising my appointment to March.

Yesterday I had a similar letter revising my appointment to June.

Now surely if the optom wants to see you in 6 months, he means 6 months, not 9 and certainly not 12.

Has anyone else been hit by this bizarre activity?

[jayuk]

John

Yes I have. For the past 24 months....

I was seen by the usual Clinic 4 CLSC then Clinic 4 CLFC?...I had recieved 2 letters for Clinic four pushing them back, and ONE from CLFC (which was my Corneal Transplant appointment!!!)

Anyway, the bizaare thing was that I had to resched my appoint for CLSC (Scleral) appt and a week after that date I got a letter saying I was discharged!!..so off the letter went and I got two more appointments which ONE has already bee resched!

Imagine if I was stilling waiting to be seen for a transplant lol.

The reason why I still want to be in the "circuit" is essentially to be seen by Ken.

J

[rosemary johnson]

I had a phone call last june to postpone my appointment last summer.
I've got an appointment for late aApril - I'm getting a little bit worried now.....!
Rosemary

[Drew Radcliffe]

I've turned up to a Clinic to be told it was cancelled. They said they had sent a letter but I didn't get it.

The receptionist tried sending me home with the old 'we will post you an appointment' line.

I said it wasn't a problem and asked for £110 back for my wasted trainfare, I was then sean very quickly and the Optom spent 2hours trying to sort me out.

So all in all yes I have had a bad experience with Moorfields appointment system but they bent over backwards to right their wrong.

The dog was impressed - Remarkably so was my mother who was my guide.

D

[Michael P]

I have been going to Moorfields for 25+ years and I have never had an appointment cancelled.

I missed one appointment though because I went the day after by mistake!

[Andrew MacLean]

I always just thought that this was the way that NHS clinics let me know that they are more important than I am.

I come out of the clinic and make my way with my little yellow card to the receptionist. She asks when would be good for me to come again, so I consult my diary and we find a date and time that suits us both.

Then I get home and they cancel the appointment we carefully made to be mutually suitable and give me one that is as inconvenient for me as it can possibly be. Net message: They are more important that me!

Message learned and point taken.

John, I have a sneaking suspicion and slight fear that in all this they are nudging me into the hands of medicine-for-profit

Andrew

[GarethB]

My hospital send my appontment date for the next visit within seven days of my last one.

Only once have I been asked to change and that was to arrive 30 minutes earlier due to an admin error. I have always had atleast two weeks to plan time off work.

[Susan Mason]

Hi everyone

It may be the further out of London you get things get slightly better appointment wise.

I have only once in nearly 6 years had an appointment messed up (having said that though I did have to wait nearly 2 years to be seen in the first place). My messed up appointment was booked 6 months previous and when I turned up on the day I was told the clinic was cancelled and I had been sent a letter. To this I replied well obviously not or I wouldn't be here. After explaining that I had taken time of work etc I was asked to wait and I was seen by one of the other optoms. This turned out to be a good thing as he was very good and now with my sclerals lenses I see him each time.

It is rather worrying though when such appointments are changed as you say if they indicate they want to see you in 6 months well, surely that is for a reason. And whilst it can be appreciated that things will come up that will mean changes surely this should be within a week or so of your original appointment not months later.

Maybe this indicates that the 'system' cannot cope with the demand for such appointemnts? And maybe it is time that a little more money was input into this area, sight is very important and if cataracts can be resolved with speed (looks good on the figures I suppose) we should be seen the same way.

Susan

[Sweet]

Yes i am having the same trouble at Moorfields. I was due to go last Friday for a lens check but tried to cancel it in the morning as i was in 'A & E' with a painful eye so i obviously wasn't wearing my lens so there was no point me being there. I was told that i couldn't cancel and she would leave it open to which i replied fine but i'm opposite in 'A & E' and i assure you that i won't be coming! True enough i never went, in fact as the hospital lost my notes AGAIN i was waiting almost four hours so missed my appointment completely.

Then when i went to reschedule which they asked me to do they weren't around to do it so i had to wait until last Monday to rebook and am told the middle of June! Great As this was an appointment to check the new lens using a piggy back system it was important for them to see me in three months but now it has turned into six. Am just hoping that everything remains stable until then.

I just think that there are way too many patients and no underestanding of cancelled appointments. As i tried to cancel six hours before my appointment i am sure that someone needing to be seen urgently would have been able to have my space. But Moorfields don't seem to have cottoned onto this idea at all even though i have mentioned it on numerous occasions. Honestly i think that next time i will just come here and say that there is a space available for someone who needs it!!! Also as i told them last time at 'A & E' i am thinking of changing my name, as four times now they seem to have mislaid my card from one desk to the other other side of the room! Gee next time i think i will carry the dam thing myself, i mean please, with a name like sweet how can it get lost?!!!!!

[mhendo]

I think i've been lucky.....

It took me a while to get seen at Moorfields, had to go the initial tests at Mile End hospital and after 6 months or so got seen at Moorfields.

I have to say that i am very pleased, never had an appointment cancelled just have to wait a while between them.

As regards to my last appointment on the 13th (fri) Jan , was when i was told the best way to go would be a transplant. I was surprised that Bruce gave me a op date there & then.

Just under 5 months between appointment and op.. Not bad i think....