Hospital booking system ‘in chaos’

MAIDENHEAD: Patients at St Mark’s Hospital have raised concerns appointments are being delayed due to problems with a new booking system.

Visitors discovered referrals from doctors were missing due to ‘a new system’ and results from blood tests were also missing.

Michael Collins, a patient at Symons Medical Centre in Maidenhead, went for a blood test at St Mark’s more than a month ago, on his doctor's advice.

“After speaking to [my doctor] a few days later, he said he could not find my result of this test.

He advised me to get a second blood test done.”

Michael did this on July 21 but received a message from Swiftqueue (an appointment booking app) asking him why he did not attend his appointment.

He later received an email apologising from Swiftqueue for the confusion, as this was an error – an automated email sent if clinic staff failed to mark the ‘completed’ button for the appointment.

Others on the Nextdoor social media platform said the updated system has ‘caused chaos’ with bookings, with patients attending scheduled appointments only to be told they do not have one – and waiting weeks for another.

Jackie Ilic from Desborough Park went to St Mark’s for an XRay at the beginning of June – but was told the hospital couldn’t find her referral form.

Jackie said staff at the hospital apologised, saying the problem was down to its new system.

Her doctor then sent her a new appointment for the following week.

“I checked various times through the week and [there was still] no sign of the X-ray the morning of my appointment,” she said.

Jackie’s doctor sent through yet another form, she says, seven weeks after the first was lost.

“If I wasn’t in that much pain I wouldn’t bother,” Jackie added.

“I did go to A&E when it happened and the waiting time was 14 hours. They were asking people to go home and come back the next the day.”

A spokesperson for Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System, which runs St Mark’s Hospital, said: “We understand that a number of people have experienced problems attempting to book appointments for blood tests at St Mark’s Hospital.

“We would like to apologise to those patients for the inconvenience and upset they have experienced.

“We would ask anyone who has had trouble to get in touch via fhft.bspshelpline@nhs.net to report what has happened so we can improve the service.”