SIR – While I appreciate that many people choose to forget/ignore hospital outpatient appointments (T&A June 17), spare a thought for those who do try to cancel.
I recently had to cancel an appointment at St Luke’s because I had been readmitted to BRI for an unrelated reason. The following day I rang to cancel my 10.30am appointment but was unable to get through.
The number was engaged, or I waited a long time with the cost mounting up on my (expensive) Patientline ward phone, only to be told by a machine to try at a less busy time. The obvious answer is more staff and telephone lines available at busy times.
Surely a few more staff hours would far outweigh the huge cost of missed appointments.
Geraldine Dean, Brantwood Grove, Bradford
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here