"Eye casualty service"

I was referred to eye casualty by my optician. I was told I would get a phone call within 24hrs, however, I was not called until 5 days later.

I was then given an appointment for 9.30am, 4 days after I was called. I turned up for the appointment at 9am and wasn’t seen until after 1pm, and only after I had mentioned to the nurse that I had received a discharge letter via my care app (even though I had not yet even been seen by a doctor) was I then seen.

The doctor then proceeded to excuse the fact I wasn’t seen and mistaking my given a discharge letter with prescription prior to being seen, on that fact that I had been called but didn’t answer. I know for a fact for this to be untrue as I sat in the same spot, the front seat of the waiting room, for 4hrs and did not move.

I was then told to make a follow up appointment and receive my discharge letter from the receptionist. I then went to reception and proceeded to wait for the receptionist for over 30 mins. They did not arrive. I then went and knocked on a store door believing there was a nurse inside, so I could ask on the whereabouts of the member of staff on reception. I was then told by the nurse that they were not here and had gone home.

I am extremely disappointed in how I have been handled and the service I received since the beginning of this issue. I always want to be as positive as I can about the health service but this visit, the most recent of multiple recent visits where I also have felt extremely let down, has really pushed me over the edge.

In my view, the system is truly broken and needs fixed ASAP. I now just hope I don’t need the use of the health services in the near or distant future as I really can’t bare to think of how I might be handled and treated. I would go as far to say that at this stage I would have preferred to suffer than to go through the NHS system again. I truly hope that the system can be fixed and soon.