Paul, I see you as someone who could probably have coped with it and asked intelligent questions. From the reaction here and after searching the internet, I have concluded that it's not international practice for the patient to attend.

I wouldn't like to see the patient excluded because it seems to me that seeing the real person in front of them will give medical professionals a better insight into treatment needed. Lots of people come up and ask if they can look at the cancer site. They then go away and discuss the people they've seen. After many hours of waiting the patient is brought back into the consultant's room and given a treatment plan and a date.

I think it's a good scheme but there's a lot of room for improvement in the way they handle patients before, during and after.