The arrogance of John Lazarus

Dear Mr John Lazarus .... just what exactly were you apologising for? In response to my complaint, you apologised and invited me to 'discuss the outcome of the biopsy' at 13h30 on any Monday, (except 9/9). You did not say I was expected to attend a clinic, nor that I was expected to collect my file and wait in a queue. Yet, when I arrived at your office, you expected me to have understood your assumptions and to abandon my other commitments for the rest of the day. So, what were you apologising for? ... because it was your 'apology' that led me to believe you were trying to be helpful, to facilitate the feedback of my biopsy results and avoid further distress to myself. Furthermore, your comment 'Are we going to have a fight about this Mr Magill' is patronising and utterly disingenuous, as it attempts to portray me as combative, simply because I will not 'do as instructed'; and serves only to hide your own failure to communicate adequately. Your arrogance is appalling. Clearly you are too used to have patients re-arrange their lives around your needs, so that they can be serviced at your convenience. How can it be more efficient to have a patient waste an hour collecting their file and another 2-3 hours waiting in your clinic ... than it would be for a doctor to pick up a phone and provide the feedback telephonically in a matter of seconds, or perhaps spend 5min writing a letter or email? How much inconvenience is caused to how many patients, who must each give up half a day of their lives, to attend a clinic, for just 5-15min of 'service'? For the patient that's a high cost .... and only 6% time-efficient. It might be more efficient for you, but what is the cost in productivity, to each of those individual lives and to the economy? ... and especially for any employed person who has better things to do than wait? My conclusion is that this is designed to reduce as much possible the number of patients by creating obstacles, to effectively deny patients the medical treatment they require (and pay for), only so you (GSH) can misrepresent the percentage of patients served versus those in need and the real value of the national health service. Because what you are effectively saying is: 'Do as we say, or you will not get treatment.' Your refusal to 'honour' your invitation and provide my test results only causes me further distress; but I will not be coerced, or held to ransom by the information you withhold. I am not a patient who is intimated by your arrogance or the authority you assume ... and I would rather waste 4 hours referring your insulting behaviour to the relevant authorities, than twiddling my thumbs in your waiting room.