Appointments for patients

Sir, – Since Donald Clarke’s article about the changing meanings of words (Opinion, August 31st), I have received correspondence from two different hospital out-patient departments, informing me that, following receipt of referral letters, the patient in question had been “appointed”. (The position was unspecified). If this new found enthusiasm for “appointing” people could only be applied to the hiring of badly-needed staff, perhaps the patients would not have to remain at their appointed station on the waiting list for quite so long. – Yours, etc,

Dr HUGH NOHILLY,

Woodford Grove,

Clondalkin, Dublin 22.