No appointment times, just a date
On several occasions recently I have needed to discuss a medical issue for myself or my teenage son. I understand that face-to-face appointments are not necessarily an option at the moment, but if a telephone consultation is appropriate then it still needs and actual appointment time. On recent occasions all I have received is a day on which somebody will call. This doesn't give adequate consideration for patient needs, including privacy concerns - it simply isn't acceptable to sit waiting all day for a call for myself or my son, but the alternative is to have to take a private medical call either in a public place, at work, or with people who you may not want to discuss such issues in front of, as there is no option to schedule the days plans around a known call time. When calling on behalf of a child it is equally unacceptable to have to cancel all their plans for the day, just to make sure that they are available for the call 'at some point'. Frankly it is disrespectful of both patient's time and need for privacy in medical matters. Telephone appointments need a specific time slot just the same as face-to-face appointments do.