Mr A complained that his place on the waiting list for surgery was reset when he rearranged an appointment.
The Ombudsman recognised the language used in the complaint response may have led to confusion. However, as Mr A gave prior notice of his inability to attend a mutually agreed appointment, this was considered a ‘Could Not Attend’ by the Health Board. As per the Revised Rules for Managing Referral to Treatment Waiting Times for Phased Implementation April 2017 (“the Rules”), the Health Board was, therefore, entitled to reset his clock on the waiting list. However, the Ombudsman was concerned that the Health Board had not communicated this to Mr A when rebooking his appointment.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to, within 4 weeks, apologise to Mr A for not communicating that his clock had been reset when rebooking his appointment, and to ensure that all patients are informed of resets to their place on the waiting list going forward, as per the Management of Referral to Treatment Waiting Times Guidance April 2025, which now applies. The Health Board agreed to do so.