Patients have criticised the appointments system at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital after waiting almost two hours to see a doctor.

Some clinics offer appointments in blocks, which means a large number of patients all turning up at the same time. At one eye clinic session, many elderly people who arrived at 10.45am did not see the consultant until two hours later. Patients and visitors say the situation is “ridiculous”.

They say it would be better to stagger the times.

Bosses say they are exploring ways of “maximising” the use of facilities at its other hospital sites to cut waiting times.

Eileen Johnson of Gornal accompanied her neighbour who was visiting one of the eye clinics held this week and said it was unacceptable that patients were kept waiting so long.

Retired secretary Mrs Johnson, aged 69, said: “I think it’s ridiculous to ask people to turn up at a set time if they have to wait a couple of hours before seeing a consultant.

“My friend is in her 80s, and she was getting quite distressed at having to wait so long. Surely it would be more sensible to stagger the times. It’s not fair on people who accompany patients either – I was supposed to be collecting my granddaughter but I was running really late.”

Bosses say different clinics operate different appointment systems, either in blocks or staggered.

Chief executive Paul Farenden said: “There are times when delays are inevitable, for example when there are large numbers of patients to be seen, when consultation times exceed the norm and when junior staff require or request more supervision.”

Bosses also say, if there are delays, staff will let patients know either by telling them directly or by updating information on notice boards.

But at the eye clinic, many patients had to ask nurses several times what was happening and where they were in the queue.

Additional clinics have recently been opened at the Corbett and Guest as well as Russells Hall Hospital.