Choose and Book!! oooh ha hah ha ooooooha ha ha

This is a recent exchange of e mails between myself and local NHS. The point is self explanatory:

To my GP:

• From a patient experience group for JPH I got this:


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• You and your GP will choose a number of clinically appropriate hospitals. He or she will then print out an Appointment Request letter for you to take away with you.  Your Appointment Request letter lists your Unique Booking Reference Number (UBRN), your NHS number, a list of hospital or clinic options for you to choose from and how to book your appointment.  Your GP practice will also give you a password with your Appointment Request letter.  You can then book your appointment later from home using The Appointments Line (0345 608 8888). the internet or, in some cases, by contacting the hospital directly.


• You must have your Appointment Request letter and your password if you want to book your appointment after leaving the surgery.


• Does any of this apply to my knee surgery referral? I did get a cursory letter just offering me a choice of going to Kings Lynn or Bury St Edmonds but said I'd stick with the N&N - nothing about booking an appointment (I've heard nothing from N&N). 

And from my GP:

• Hello.All above is news to me .Not heard of unique booking reference number.Maybe we can discuss next time I see you

To Choose and Book Norfolk:

• Freedom of Information Act request.



• I have copied my mail of 08/07/11 to my GP Dr Peter Barrie below. Can you please explain 1) why your system seems to be different (and, in my opinion less favourable to the patient) from that stated by the information given to our JPH patient experience group. 2) Why my referral has taken three and a half weeks to get to the point of it getting to the N&N.

From Choose and Book:

• Good morning Mr Cox,



• Thank you for your email below, you have noted that the letter says 10 days, it actually reads 10 weeks when the N&N will contact you.


• This letter is sent out by NHS Norfolk on behalf of the N&N. Any appointment that will be offered will be made directly by them, they would contact you to arrange a suitable date and time once clinics become available.
  
  
  
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  • Routine Orthopaedic referrals within Norfolk are in the first instance sent to the Orthopaedic Triage department to review and if at all possible treat you, however certain cases cannot be treated here and have to be referred onto the Hospital. The choices you were offered of Bury or Kings Lynn were declined so the referral was passed to the N&N. There are some specialties that do not have the capability of allowing patients to call directly or make their appointment via the Internet, Orthopaedics is one of those specialties which falls into this criteria.
  
  
  
  • I hope this answers your query, if not please feel free to contact us.
  
  
  

And My latest to Choose and Book:

• Hello.



• It looks like we can't avoid the conclusion that this inequality (with other patients who have the choose and book facility) is the one of the results of commissioning outside of the NHS.



• One question must be: why should orthopaedics be exempt from national policy? Can you please respond to this.



• Yes, I see I misread your letter which makes it even worse. Three and a half weeks to get to this point. Ten further weeks (if it runs the full course) to wait before I can even `book` an appointment for examination = thirteen and a half weeks already. When I first saw my GP about the problem and from the results of an X-ray he told me `We'll get you in for a quick, simple operation.` I told him then `It's not too troublesome at present so rather than the expense for the NHS I'll defer it until it does warrant attention. Now it seems I have to have another orthopaedic examination to decide what to do. Is that not more unnecessary NHS expense?



• Now I'm in pain from it all the time, sometimes serious pain meaning I can't move at all and I'm full of heavy, addictive pain killers - more NHS expense. Getting to the N&N is difficult enough. Getting to Bury or Kings Lynn for out-patient appointments is worth raucous laughter. It would be next to impossible!



• I'm one of an expert service user group working with NCODP and NHS Norfolk on Personal health Budgets and personalisation. I would be less than responsible if I didn't ask `Just how does personalisation apply here?`  




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• Heddwch




• Mike.