Unnecessary Traversal

I had an appointment at Grantham Hospital this Wednesday, today as I write this. It was to see a rehabilitation consultant for reasons I am yet to fathom. I lost the handy letter with all the details and a map on so rang up and was given specific instructions to report to outpatients before 09:30. So I show up at 09:05 with no paperwork and tell them what I've been told. A lovely lady volunteer ushers me to the automated touch screen check in thingy and informs me that they haven't got my details at the main outpatients desk so maybe rehab/physio round the corner will.

I stride there and talk to another lovely lady who goes and asks those behind the scenes if they are expecting me. As I write this I remember I handed her my driving license, my name is out of the ordinary so instead of spelling it I decided on this course of action. I have just checked my wallet to make sure I retrieved it, I did, crisis over. She tells me that they are not expecting me so I'm probably expected at the other rehab clinic at the other end of the hospital. It is now 09:20 and I am running out of time.

I walk towards maternity and eventually see signs for "Rehabilitation". And then I arrive at a temporary wall blocking off the only corridor that allows internal access to rehab from where I am. The wall is blocking off some building work, fantastic! So I head outside in the hope of bypassing the building work and re-entering the hospital via another entrance, success! I wander into the rehab bit and it is rather deserted. Two nice ladies tell me the session has already started and asked if I still wanted to go in. This is some sort of group therapy. I explain that I'm here because I had loads of nerve damage and muscle wastage after rupturing two discs in my lower back. They direct me back to the physio department from whence I came.

I arrive back at the physio department and tell the nice lady that I've been sent back. She rings my local physio dept to see if they know what in tarnation is going on. They instruct her to use pause/paws/pas? I dunno some system that she is yet to engage. She tells me the name of the doctor I am supposed to see and sends me back to the main outpatients reception. You may remember that this is where I started me jaunt around Grantham hospital.

I speak with the receptionist and she tells me to take a seat and I'll be called in in due course. A couple of minutes later the doc pops his head out the door and calls me in. Not fussed that I am ten minutes late! So what's the moral here? Hospitals are useless? The NHS is a joke? Possibly but what I took away from it is do not lose the appointment letter they send you. Had I had it this whole series of events would not have taken place. Remember when I said I learn things the hard way? As it so happens the hard way was a 35 minute walk around a hospital.

Odd bit of metal work I saw on my way to the hospital.