Elaine Abery - It's a Mess

Time preferred for meeting: Thursday

Time of meeting: Tuesday 11am

That’s what the board said in the patient’s room.

“Excuse me. Could we please change the meeting time to Thursday?”

‘That’s not my area of responsibility. You will have to call the main switchboard between 9 and 5 on a weekday.’

Fast forward half a day.

“Hi. I’d like to talk to someone about our appointment. Is there any chance we could move it to our preferred time? Tomorrow 11am conflicts with other responsibilities.” I list the responsibilities. Explain I work night shift and 11am following a work day is like 2am for day workers. But I may as well have saved my breath.

‘We don’t know who the consultant will be yet. Or the staff. It needs to be tomorrow at 11.’

I hang up. I hang my head. Roll my eyes.

Why did you bother asking what our preferred time is? They had no intention of honouring our preferences – or even trying to work our preferences into their schedule. The cynic in me wonders if they can tick a box ‘patient-centred care’ on the odd occasion where the appointment time they dictate isn’t contrary to the patient’s expressed wishes.

Deep breath.

It doesn’t work. It hits me in waves.

The phone call, every Monday, “confirming” the next day’s appointment. 11am Tuesday. Is this their magic number?

Wearily, as I fall into bed around 8:30am, absolutely trashed from night-shift. I set my alarm for 10:30am. I hope for an hour and a bit sleep. Fitful sleep, as I toss and turn, worried I will sleep through my alarm.

Bleary-eyed, I trudge to the toilet when my alarm makes me jump. Did I even sleep? I prop myself up, hoping to stop my eyes closing all by themselves.

Invariably, 1 of 3 things happens.

Either the meeting goes ahead and they forget to dial me in – this is my fault for not attending the meeting in person.

The second option is they have cancelled the meeting, but forgot to tell me. I ring and am transferred, put on hold, etc as I try to find out what is happening. Finally, frustrated, someone gives me the vital information – the meeting was cancelled. How on earth did they not know yesterday – when they rang (and woke me up) to confirm the appointment – that they had a scheduled team bonding workshop/Melbourne Cup luncheon/etc today?

The third option is that the meeting goes ahead. Usually, at least 1 of their team is absent, on a RDO, CPD, etc event.

This is just stage 1 of meeting with them.