It's interesting the things people choose to complain about. I had a patient today who was outraged that hospital transport had refused, for the third year running, to bring him to his retinopathy screening appointment. And why? Because he's perfectly able-bodied.

The man was only in his sixties, lived less than two miles from the hospital, and had the use of both legs. But that wasn't the issue. The issue, so he told me, was that he couldn't get a direct bus from his house to the hospital, and for us to expect him to change buses en route was completely unacceptable. So he'd been forced to get a taxi. The cost of which was an outrage. So every year, he'd tried to request hospital transport, they'd asked him about his mobility, he'd said he's fine thank you very much, and they'd put the phone down.

This was a man who wanted answers. As he said to me, "Why shouldn't I get hospital transport, just because I can walk?". It's a good question. I felt like offering to push him back to the waiting room in a wheelchair, just to save him the effort. But being a helpful sort of person, I chose instead to politely explain our policy on transport and travel expenses (which was essentially that you're not getting either), before offering some alternatives. I suggested that maybe next year he could ask a friend to drive him to the appointment. He looked at me stony-faced and said "I don't have any friends".

I didn't know quite what to say to that. The obvious reply was "I'm not surprised, the way you keep moaning", but I felt that wouldn't be professional. So instead I asked him to start reading from the top of the eye chart. The complaining continued right through the VA, the drops and the photos. If the man was being sponsored to moan, he'd have raised enough money to hire a chauffeur driven limo. Personally I was tempted to phone Travis Bickle.

To be honest, I don't think the chap would have been happy unless I'd offered him a lift home or given him a tenner for the taxi. And frankly I was tempted, just to shut him up. I think I'll arrange to pick him up myself next year.