A RESPIRATORY patient has slammed Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust after being on the phone for 45 minutes and speaking to 11 different people to get a replacement part for a machine which helps him manage his condition.
Malcolm Conroy, from Bromsgrove, contacted the Standard after the incident earlier this week.
A part needed replacing on his CPAP device – a machine which compresses air to help patients breathe more easily.
He called the number for the Alexandra Hospital he was given but kept being cut off.
He said he was then told the switchboard was ‘no longer manned’.
He eventually spoke to someone and was told to ring the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, being passed from ‘pillar to post’, speaking to 11 different staff members.
Eventually he managed to get through to the respiratory department which apologised and sent him the part he needed for the machine.
He said: “It should not have taken this long – I feel badly let down by the management of the trust.”
Emma Bridge, head of facilities at the Alexandra Hospital, said: “Our switchboard teams are working hard to manage a growing number of calls and endeavour to help callers and transfer them to the required department in as timely a way as possible.
“We apologise that we did not meet these standards on this occasion.
“Mr Conroy has been in touch to share his experience and we will look into his concerns and respond to him directly.”