Patient Feedback

Prompt appointment for health issues and to arrive 30mins early for x-rays before seeing consultant arrived 40 mins before due time to find reception queuing back to the doors and after processing arrival directed to x-ray department as requested to find it rammed with patients all running late for their appointment and jockeying for the limited seating provided, finally seen one hour late and overdue for consultation admittedly kept informed of 'issues' and reassured that all relevant departments were being kept advised of 'problems' (basically they were taking on more NHS referrals than they could process, NHS a cash cow?), staff were helpful and polite given the difficulties but then so would staff in NHS, it is a common default reaction I have found in my 75 years of health care. But the real downside of my visit was yet to come, quickly making my way through the building to the relevant department for my needs and now 45 minutes late through no fault of mine I was greeted by the relevant consultant shouting my surname across the waiting area as if I was a recalcitrant school boy summoned by a headmaster of a minor public school in the 1950s! Putting aside my feelings thinking that this was a result of the 'issues' I followed at a distance due to my walking disabilities into a regular doctor's room and received a 20 minute lecture on why my 65 years of problems were nothing but my own fault in what can only be described as an extremely patronising manner and fully expected to be given a removal of tuck shop privileges for the rest of the term, yes I was a referral from the NHS but the service I got received was I'm sure, not the experience of the privately funded patient. So three rather generous stars and a lesson for the future of health care