Double Booking Disaster at New RHCH Outpatients

Happy New Year for Outpatients - Hampshire Hospitals delivers new Outpatient Department for Royal Hampshire County Hospital

Or so they say!  I had a very frustrating experience when I visited the new Outpatients at the RHCH in Winchester today.  My appointment was at 12.20pm so I arrived in good time in order to find somewhere to park and then walk right to the other end of the hospital.

I arrived with 10 minutes to spare, booked in and took a seat to await my turn.... and waited...and waited...and waited.  After twenty minutes  I heard my name mentioned so I went to the desk and asked what was happening and was just told to wait.  After another twenty minutes I heard a foreign girl talking about me to the receptionist so went up and asked again.  I was told to sit at the front and wait.  A few minutes later the girl came out again and once more started talking about me, so I asked again.  At first the receptionist denied that they were talking about me but the foreign girl admitted that they were talking about me and that I had missed my appointment as the doctor had gone to lunch.

I was then told that the doctor didn't need to see me anyway!  By this time an hour had passed since I arrived.

 The two young ladies explained to me that the new Outpatients had a Dual Booking In System.  It was booked in at Reception and then it was supposed to be booked in on the doctor's screen - computer, I suppose.

But it hadn't been booked in on the doctor's system so he thought I hadn't come and just went to lunch.  

But the assistant came out and talked to the receptionist about me.  why didn't they call my name?????????????????????

I'm afraid the new Outpatients is a total disaster!  

so if you are unfortunate to have an appointment there, be aware that you need to make sure the doctor knows you are there.