"Such an outdated system"

I wanted to express my disappointment at the system used for securing hospital appts in the UK/Scotland. I went to the doctor a number of months ago about some concerns I had and whilst they were helpful in referring me to neurology at Forth Valley they explained this might take a number of months - all the while I remain anxious about what is going on. Finally, I received a letter with an appointment which was due to happen the next week (short notice and I just so happened to be on holiday that week typically!). The letter said I must respond within 7 days, and I noticed that it had been 6 days since the letter had been dated. So I had to very quickly get in touch with the hospital the next day. I had hoped I would be able to re-schedule given I had already waited this long. Not the case - apparently no other appointments and I had to cancel and wait for another appointment to come up - who knows how long that will be!

There are a few reasons for my disappointment.

1) Had I received notification of my appointment sooner and not been given only 1 day to respond I may have been in with more of a chance of re-scheduling

2) This is such an outdated system, I shouldn't have to wait 6 days for a paper letter to come through my post-box to then have to call and hope for the best. There must be a better way. An online system for example, where you can review appointments using your CHI number?

I still haven't received my appointment and as I feel my concerns getting worse it does make me more anxious. I know I will not be the only person this has happened to, there will be many more in more difficult circumstances but it is so incredibly frustrating that our healthcare system actively makes people more anxious. It's not fit for the 21st century or the world we live in.