Saturday, July 24, 2004
MRI Scan
This whinge to be read in conjunction with others about My Doctor, AXA PPP Healthcare and the NHS.
The good news was that having been told the waiting list for the scan was four months I was slipped in quickly, after just three or four weeks - although I'm not sure that a surgeon recommending the fastrack is an encouraging thing.
So things were going really well, they rang me to see if the appointment was convenient (excellent) and said they'd send a confirmation letter (this was about 10 days before the appointment).
All well and good but the letter didn't arrive until the day of the scan ie I didn't get it until I went home after work on the day. That was OK though, I knew about the appointment anyway so that didn't matter too much.
The bit that left a slightly bad taste was that when i turned up at dead on 6pm (my appointment time) the lady asked if I'd had trouble finding the place. Hmmm? "I'm not late am I" I pointed out, knowing I wasn't. "You're supposed to be here 15 minutes early" she said. I showed her my letter and pointed out that it didn't say anything about that. It says so in the leaflet that came with the letter she said. When I said that I'd only got the letter an hour before the appointment so had not had time to read the leaflet she said anyway it didn't matter.
So why make a snide comment about it in the first place.
Now I know this is only a small thing, but they're often what makes the difference to an experience. You probably thinking shouldn't I have been early for such an important appointment anyway? Well normally I would, and if it hadn't been for exceptionally heavy traffic I would have been. However, when i'd been to see the surgeon a few weeks before, the letter had specifically said NOT to turn up early, you will not be seen before the appointment time and it'll only clog up the waiting room. If they wanted me early in this other department why on earth didn't they say so in the letter, and make sure the letter is sent early enough for me to receive it before the appointment. In fact what do they do between making the appointment and sending the letter, as I said before they rang up 10 days before, yet the confirmation letter wasn't sent until 2 days before. Why?
In fact wouldn't it make sense if they want you there at 5.45pm instead of 6pm to make that the appointment time. I can imagine them having weekly meetings and every time they're saying "aren't patients useless, most of them turn up late for their appointments, you think they'd make the effort wouldn't you for something so important".
AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Just put the right time on the letter and post the bloddy thing so people actually get it before their appointment.
Whilst on the subject, at 6pm the place was deserted and there were no reception staff. Now I can't be sure but i reckon I was probably the last appointment of the day. I don't know how much a MRI scanner costs but my guess is that it runs well into 6 maybe even 7 figures. Given that level of investment, the obvious demand as it takes four months to get an appointment, the capability of earning revenue via private patients and last but not least the ability to speed people towards recovery, why on earth wouldn't you run the damn thing 24 hours a day. The hospital is open anyway, the lights are on, the only additional costs you're going to incur is two staff members, the receptionist/form-filling/moaning at everyone 'cause they get there late/explaining about the scan type person and the radiologist. Given that the cost of a private scan at this hospital is nearly £700 and that you can do two scans an hour (mine took 20 minutes actually in the machine plus a couple of minutes to slide in and out) then you could afford to hire/train people to work shifts, pay them exceptionally well to compensate for the odd hours and barely make a dent in that kind of income.
The only question is whether people (patients) would be prepared to come in at that time and the chances are that if you need a scan then you'll front up at any time of the day or night rather than extend the suffering by another four months.
I really hope I'm wrong about this, surely the NHS can't be that blind to miss a win/win situation like this.
The good news was that having been told the waiting list for the scan was four months I was slipped in quickly, after just three or four weeks - although I'm not sure that a surgeon recommending the fastrack is an encouraging thing.
So things were going really well, they rang me to see if the appointment was convenient (excellent) and said they'd send a confirmation letter (this was about 10 days before the appointment).
All well and good but the letter didn't arrive until the day of the scan ie I didn't get it until I went home after work on the day. That was OK though, I knew about the appointment anyway so that didn't matter too much.
The bit that left a slightly bad taste was that when i turned up at dead on 6pm (my appointment time) the lady asked if I'd had trouble finding the place. Hmmm? "I'm not late am I" I pointed out, knowing I wasn't. "You're supposed to be here 15 minutes early" she said. I showed her my letter and pointed out that it didn't say anything about that. It says so in the leaflet that came with the letter she said. When I said that I'd only got the letter an hour before the appointment so had not had time to read the leaflet she said anyway it didn't matter.
So why make a snide comment about it in the first place.
Now I know this is only a small thing, but they're often what makes the difference to an experience. You probably thinking shouldn't I have been early for such an important appointment anyway? Well normally I would, and if it hadn't been for exceptionally heavy traffic I would have been. However, when i'd been to see the surgeon a few weeks before, the letter had specifically said NOT to turn up early, you will not be seen before the appointment time and it'll only clog up the waiting room. If they wanted me early in this other department why on earth didn't they say so in the letter, and make sure the letter is sent early enough for me to receive it before the appointment. In fact what do they do between making the appointment and sending the letter, as I said before they rang up 10 days before, yet the confirmation letter wasn't sent until 2 days before. Why?
In fact wouldn't it make sense if they want you there at 5.45pm instead of 6pm to make that the appointment time. I can imagine them having weekly meetings and every time they're saying "aren't patients useless, most of them turn up late for their appointments, you think they'd make the effort wouldn't you for something so important".
AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Just put the right time on the letter and post the bloddy thing so people actually get it before their appointment.
Whilst on the subject, at 6pm the place was deserted and there were no reception staff. Now I can't be sure but i reckon I was probably the last appointment of the day. I don't know how much a MRI scanner costs but my guess is that it runs well into 6 maybe even 7 figures. Given that level of investment, the obvious demand as it takes four months to get an appointment, the capability of earning revenue via private patients and last but not least the ability to speed people towards recovery, why on earth wouldn't you run the damn thing 24 hours a day. The hospital is open anyway, the lights are on, the only additional costs you're going to incur is two staff members, the receptionist/form-filling/moaning at everyone 'cause they get there late/explaining about the scan type person and the radiologist. Given that the cost of a private scan at this hospital is nearly £700 and that you can do two scans an hour (mine took 20 minutes actually in the machine plus a couple of minutes to slide in and out) then you could afford to hire/train people to work shifts, pay them exceptionally well to compensate for the odd hours and barely make a dent in that kind of income.
The only question is whether people (patients) would be prepared to come in at that time and the chances are that if you need a scan then you'll front up at any time of the day or night rather than extend the suffering by another four months.
I really hope I'm wrong about this, surely the NHS can't be that blind to miss a win/win situation like this.
