How Many?

For a year or more, the Department of Health has been touting Choose and Book as a good thing. In many ways they are correct. As a patient, I too would be impressed that, on being told that I am being referred to a consultant for a specialist opinion or for specialist treatment, I could "leave the surgery with an out-patient hospital appointment convenient to me". This post isn't about the merits or otherwise of "Choose and Book". It will happen and it's all our responsibility to make it work. To help us to do this, our local "lords and masters" have published a handy booklet for us to give to those whom we refer using the new system. It's jolly nice, informative and comprehensive. It will be a great help to patients. We are supposed to give one to each person whom we refer. For us, that's over 4,000 booklets each year. How many did they send us?

Ten.

Can't get any more: out of stock... No idea when there'll be any more... Not sure who ordered them... Try again in a month or so.