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Being de registered for cancelling medical appointments

I have fibromyalgia very bad pain and many other symptoms and sometimes am unable to get out of bed. I can just about crawl to the bathroom.
I have no problem in getting to medical appointments as my retired husband drives me but sometimes I am really not well enough to attend.
My area seems to operate a two, or sometimes three, strikes and you are out. If you cancel that many times you have to go back to the GP and ask to be referred again.
I was referred to the pain clinic but told there was no point in my attending if I could not guarantee being there from 10am to 3pm once a week for eight weeks. They said cancelling once would be OK but not any more times.
Last week I had to cancel two appointments because I have pneumonia, one physio, one dentist. I no longer have a dentist and have been discharged by the physio.
i do want to attend these appointments. I wouldn’t make them if I didn’t and always explain my situation at the first one.
Sometimes I receive a sympathetic response when cancelling such as they understand my situation but have to stick to the rules. Other times I am told my cancelling is unreasonable and affects other patients. I always try to give them as much notice as I possibly can.
I feel that I cannot be the only person in this situation, in fact I know of others, and think that this denies medical attention to many very sick people.
I certainly am getting to the point where I don’t think it is worth even trying to attend hospital appointments but then again I don’t think I should just have to give up and that there should be concessions made, not just for me but for others in the same situation.
Does anyone have any ideas who I could approach about this please ?
I have no problem in getting to medical appointments as my retired husband drives me but sometimes I am really not well enough to attend.
My area seems to operate a two, or sometimes three, strikes and you are out. If you cancel that many times you have to go back to the GP and ask to be referred again.
I was referred to the pain clinic but told there was no point in my attending if I could not guarantee being there from 10am to 3pm once a week for eight weeks. They said cancelling once would be OK but not any more times.
Last week I had to cancel two appointments because I have pneumonia, one physio, one dentist. I no longer have a dentist and have been discharged by the physio.
i do want to attend these appointments. I wouldn’t make them if I didn’t and always explain my situation at the first one.
Sometimes I receive a sympathetic response when cancelling such as they understand my situation but have to stick to the rules. Other times I am told my cancelling is unreasonable and affects other patients. I always try to give them as much notice as I possibly can.
I feel that I cannot be the only person in this situation, in fact I know of others, and think that this denies medical attention to many very sick people.
I certainly am getting to the point where I don’t think it is worth even trying to attend hospital appointments but then again I don’t think I should just have to give up and that there should be concessions made, not just for me but for others in the same situation.
Does anyone have any ideas who I could approach about this please ?
Replies
I have no problem in getting to medical appointments as my retired husband drives me but sometimes I am really not well enough to attend.
My area seems to operate a two, or sometimes three, strikes and you are out. If you cancel that many times you have to go back to the GP and ask to be referred again.
I was referred to the pain clinic but told there was no point in my attending if I could not guarantee being there from 10am to 3pm once a week for eight weeks. They said cancelling once would be OK but not any more times.
Last week I had to cancel two appointments because I have pneumonia, one physio, one dentist. I no longer have a dentist and have been discharged by the physio.
i do want to attend these appointments. I wouldn’t make them if I didn’t and always explain my situation at the first one.
Sometimes I receive a sympathetic response when cancelling such as they understand my situation but have to stick to the rules. Other times I am told my cancelling is unreasonable and affects other patients. I always try to give them as much notice as I possibly can.
I feel that I cannot be the only person in this situation, in fact I know of others, and think that this denies medical attention to many very sick people.
I certainly am getting to the point where I don’t think it is worth even trying to attend hospital appointments but then again I don’t think I should just have to give up and that there should be concessions made, not just for me but for others in the same situation.
Does anyone have any ideas who I could approach about this please ?
Sorry to hear this. Unfortunately this does happen in other areas too, like mine. I have not gone beyond missing more than one appointment, therefore I can only imagine your frustration. Is your GP not able to visit you at home? Is there a community physiotherapist available?
Disability Gamechanger - 2019
I’ll look into community physio but really I am trying to find a way of changing the system for others also, not just me.
I understand the NHS is on its knees but really think these rules affect a group of very sick people.
unfortunately though these can occur at any time and for no reason. I couldn’t possibly say a week in advance how I will be the following week.
Most doctors havnt the brains to read up on fibromyalgia.