In our family, we are now starting to experience what Clive Peedell is warning about - the gradual disintegration of the NHS.
My mum, who is 94, has over the last few years developed a succession of small growths on her forehead and nose. Up until about two years ago, these were dealt with quite quickly. There would be an appointment made with the dermatology department to examine the growth and a short time later we would receive an appointment for it to be removed.
Last May we visited her GP with another growth on her head. It was not very large at that time. We attended an appointment at the hospital, and then a further appointment for the growth to be photographed. Then she has attended another appointment and some time later we received a letter from a private hospital 30 miles away saying they were taking over her treatment. When we heard nothing further, I telephoned the private hospital and was told that these letters had been incorrectly sent out to everybody, and mum was certainly not on their list for treatment. I made several phone calls to her local NHS hospital and eventually another appointment was made - to look at the growth yet again - but this has been cancelled and re-arranged for 6 May. What in the past took a couple of months or so to sort out will now have taken over a year to treat - and will be more difficult to remove and more painful afterwards.
She has also had to attend the eye clinic for about the last ten years or so and there were never problems with appointments. Now, however, appointments are frequently subject to cancellation and are sometimes re-arranged more than once before she can finally attend.