Cancelled NHS appointment woes for 'upset' Oxford teacher

Justine Oakley, a teacher from Littlemore, is among those who has been left feeling “frustrated” after her appointments were cancelled on two occasions - with little notice for the first cancellation.

Ms Oakley, who has been suffering from pain caused by fibroids, recently had an appointment rescheduled for March 31 cancelled once again "due to unforeseen circumstances".

READ MORE: Bicester fish and chip shop handed new food hygiene rating

Her appointment woes began where she had an ultrasound appointment booked on September 22, as she has been suffering from pain caused by fibroids.

However, she received news on January 16 that her follow up appointment due to take place the next day, January 17, at the John Radcliffe gynaecology clinic was unexpectedly cancelled.

CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO SIGN UP TO ED HALFORD'S WEEKLY POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Sign up to Ed Halford's free weekly Politics newsletter here (Image: Newsquest)

Ms Oakley has explained this appointment is very important, as she was bleeding throughout February and March and needs to know whether she will require another operation.

Ms Oakley said: “It is the waiting game which isn’t very pleasant.

“It is also frustrating as I can’t do anything about it.”

For the first cancellation, Ms Oakley was told via letter and text that the appointment was “cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances”.

In an exclusive interview with the Oxford Mail, the teacher has said the disruption has taken its toll on her working life as well.

Justine Oakley (Image: Justine Oakley)

She explained: “I’m messing my workplace about and it's getting my hopes up and then squashing them.”

Ms Oakley previously had an operation for the fibroids, in which it was necessary to “slice open” her stomach to get the fibroids out.

The cancellations have forced Ms Oakley to go to her GP for emergency medication.

The appointment has been re-scheduled for the second time until May 10, although Ms Oakley fears her fibroids may have grown again by then and she will require another operation.

She explained: “I’ve had all sorts of issues with bleeding and pain.

“I’ve spoken to 111 and various doctors, and a doctor advised that I demanded I was seen by the hospital.”

Ms Oakley said she fears the fibroids are going to “ruin my insides” and she is not confident her re-scheduled appointment won’t be cancelled again so has decided not to request time off work yet.

She added: “I’ve been quite upset by all this.

“Physically is it worrying that the issue is getting worse so I might end up having a more serious operation in the end.”

Alison Cadle, 57-years-old and who lives on Barns Road in Cowley, said the last-minute cancellation of her eye appointment at the John Radcliffe Hospital was “awful”.

Ms Cadle suffers from arthritis in the eyes and was forced to give up work 18 years ago due to psoriatic arthritis.

Ms Cadle’s eye appointment at the John Radcliffe Hospital was cancelled at the last minute in January and since then she has had “no communication with them”.

The hospital did not give Ms Cadle any reason for the cancellation of the appointment and she has had to “chase her doctor” to find out more information.

In the course of the week, Ms Cadle said she normally gets through at least 150 drugs.

The pain in her eye can be so severe that she is unable to watch the television and it first started five months ago.

Ms Cadle said the scheduled appointment was a “very important update” as it was a “follow up appointment to see if the treatment prescribed had been effective”.

Ms Cadle has praised her local GP surgery, the Manor Surgery in Headington, for providing “mental health support” as in the past she has experienced a mental health break down.

She explained: “Last year, I had a mental breakdown and since then I have complex needs.

“I’m an urgent case.

“My GP has stepped in and kept me going.”

An Oxford University Hospitals spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear that some of our patients had their appointments cancelled – it is never a decision we take lightly and understand that it can cause inconvenience and distress.

"However, we would encourage patients who wish to raise issues with their care to contact our Complaints team who can carry out a full investigation if needed and respond accordingly.”