75ZT Community

Just how quickly are we all going down the path of no return.

Because of the data protection act, I have just been told, I cannot cancel a hospital appointment on my wife's behalf unless I have her password. What bleedin' password would that be then? The very reason I made the call is because she is not able to do it herself.

There was a time, not long ago, when one could call the local hospital department and speak to someone who had a clue what it's all about. Now I get to some centralised call centre who give me nothing but obstruction, and all in the name of 'data protection'.

Quoting the many reference numbers on the appointment letter was not acceptable. I wonder what these multi digit numbers are for then?

I guess that she will just have to default on the appointment 'cos there's no way she can keep it nor am I going to trouble her for her 'password'.

I am glad I'm on the downhill run.

Fecking "Jobsworths" do my head in!

I feel for you. Those quoting data protection almost always don't have any idea what they are talking about either!

And in the news recently the NHS were complaining about the number of patients who missed appointments without cancelling them

If I may be so bold?

There are still those amongst us who cannot/will not share personal information even with their closest relative. If, for example, I had been playing away from home (I'm not by the way, never have and never will) and I caught one of those embarrassing diseases and made an appointment at the local STI clinic. The staff need to contact me but instead get my wife, they will not tell her what the call is about because of "patient confidentiality" and not data protection. Image the furore if they told her what the problem was? Hypothetically of course.

Alternatively your other half needs urgent treatment you know nothing about it and try to cancel the appointment saying he/she does not want it/need it?

Granted the password thing seems a bit strange though? Seems to almost defeat the object.

When I smacked my hip the staff wouldn't speak to my wife on the phone, but were happy to speak to her in person????

Hope you both get everything all sorted soon Bernard. Nothing worse than having a loved one in hospital, especially a long way away.

Gary M

They are scared of the fines they could get from any breach:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18145350

All legislation seems to end up causing more problems than existed before it was introduced.
A sort of law of diminishing returns for want of a better phrase.
You only have to look at the 'target' mentality that has been introduced across the public sector.
It appears to me that the people involved have all devised means to meet the paper 'targets' without any actual improvement in efficiency or real results. The 'targets' have been met though, of course.

If you get a person phones you the onus is on the caller to confirm their identity not you yours.
They say they can't continue until you confirm your name, DOB etc due to data protection.
You reply that you don't give out this data to complete strangers as it can be used for identity theft.
Result stalemate

Bernard wrote:All legislation seems to end up causing more problems than existed before it was introduced.
A sort of law of diminishing returns for want of a better phrase.
You only have to look at the 'target' mentality that has been introduced across the public sector.
It appears to me that the people involved have all devised means to meet the paper 'targets' without any actual improvement in efficiency or real results. The 'targets' have been met though, of course.

That is because all the time and effort that could have gone into improving services or the effectiveness of the organisation is spent firstly on disseminating information about said targets, then on 'training' into how 'officially' said organisation can reach these targets. Finally, time is spent on the best ways to circumvent the hurdles to reaching these targets and methods to ensure that black can indeed become white and thus the paperword can then 'prove' how said organisation has reached the targets. Result. Nobody is any further forward...rather they have taken a step back into another quagmire of obfuscatory pointlessness.. Or am I too cynical?

Nice to see that there are some people on here who truly understand how Politics REALLY work!

Yes, the NHS is very much driven by politics. The Government always wanting to be able to say 'look at the improvements we have made hence target setting. The NHS trusts then devise ways of trying to meet the targets which might be just playing a game.

Single sex accommodation being one - a hospital with 7 Nightingale style wards (these are dormitory style which provide the maximum beds within a space) devising a plan to eliminate them. The new layouts reduce bed numbers but the Department of Health saying that beds cannot be lost. The result an additional ward being created in the only place it possibly could that was totally unsuitable as a ward.

Great pressure to reduce cost and trusts use various methods such as reducing the length of stay and also improving the 'patient journey'. Ensuring that appointments are met and this could involve emailing and / or texting the patient to remind them of their appointment.

The DH will also issue funds for specific projects. The DH might find that towards the end of the financial year they have excess funds so these are issued to trusts BUT the money must be spent by the end of the financial year - creates problems when building work is involved.

As for cancelling someone elses appointment there is another consideration. Lets take a domineering husband and his wife. The wife has secretly arranged an appointment for something that her husband does not approve of, he finds out and phones and cancels her appointment - should he be able to do that without the trust being sure that it is what the wife wants?

I work for the NHS in an education library - we have 'Data Protection' drummed into us. Like 1 or 2 people here have said they can't give you info over the phone because there is no proof to say who you are. However this password thing - why didn't they give out a password when the appointment was booked? They could have put it on the letter - totally daft.