Nobody wants to complain but those that do help with future patients.
I had to talk to the ‘communications’ (complaints) team while I was having chemo as I already had to travel 30 miles one way to the main cancer centre (between 45/75 minute travelling time) or 20 miles to a local hospital with little back up if anything went wrong (45/60 minutes travel time) depending on the time of day. Then they said my chemo was 50 miles away ( travel time 75/95 minutes travel time) and I said that’s ridiculous when some who live within 5 miles are going to the main cancer centre and I have a minimum of 20 miles to travel I eventually got one appointment changed but my last chemo was 50 miles away or no chemo. As you can imagine I was knackered with chemo and it took a lot to complain but the booking team was having new management in the next month and I was hoping that they would consider distance and journey time for booking patients. My chemo was at least 5 hours so with the travelling time it was a full day and adding the extra travel time was just too much.
For my last chemo I was out of the house for 8 hours and the travelling was absolutely knackering. Being in a place we hadn’t been before travelling home in the dark was bewildering as there were roadworks and poor signage. Being 50 miles away it wasn’t prudent to do a dry run!
The new manager that was taking over said they could totally understand my frustration with the distance and that it wasn’t great and shouldn’t be happening. They tried really hard to find me a chemo chair in the two other centres but just couldn’t. They said my complaint meant they would be looking at the booking system and post codes to ‘try’ to make sure people were sent to their nearest centre. So I saw that as a positive.
Let’s hope your complaint helps others. 
Sorry you had to go through that. To me there is a lot of “well that’s the way it’s always been. We just do it that way. Nobody else says anything” There is a reluctance to change. I think patients are treated effectively but they don’t look after people.
My unit has been in a ‘bake off tent’ due to refurbishment. Now back in the building. My oncology appt came through with instructions to go to main outpatients. Off I trot and the outpatient clerk says “oh it’s in the unit (the other side of the hospital)” I say “but my texts, emails, letter says to come to main outpatients” Lady “yes they haven’t changed the letters yet, so we keep sending people back.”
It’s things like this - it’s been over 7 weeks since the unit went back into the building. Now I’m not a very poorly person and I could walk over to the unit but my elderly mother couldn’t do that. Why can’t letters be changed? When people are poorly this is sometimes the straw that breaks everything. Everything just becomes a battle.
Same for you - yes you got your treatment but nobody thought about the logistics of you getting there. What if you didn’t have help to get there?
There is a very interesting quote on the Future Dreams website - 25 things I wish I knew before I had breast cancer
“You will have an army of medics and professionals looking after your treatment but nobody will consider your mental health. Two years later on this will both baffle and frustrate you in equal measure” (any misquotes mine!). When I spoke to the nurse on this site she said it was well documented and researched that mental health takes a dive 6 months and on after diagnosis. Yet nothing is there to support. Not helped by the mismanagement and logistics of patient’s treatment.
I do hope my complaint works - I very much doubt it though. I remain implacable that, if I need further treatment, it won’t be in this trust.
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