How to get an urgent hospital appointment

Hope all goes well. My DH had prostate cancer and radiotherapy too. Touch wood, he is OK at the moment. The MacMillan nurses were helpful with lots of things. They may be worth a try if you still can't get anywhere.

Hope all goes well and he is seen very soon.

After I posted yesterday, DH read all your postings and decided to have another go at the hospital. He did get through to the urology consultant's secretary (he seems to get a different response every time he rings) and she managed to find a letter from the cancer consultant and has promised action.

Thank you again and fingers crossed.

I've not heard of having to have a password to speak to the consultant's secretary, I've always found the secretaries the best and fastest way to get an answer.

The GP obviously didn't prioritise the letter - go back and insist that he/she faxes it through straight away as an urgent priority.

Good advice on here chickenlegs. Hope he gets his appointment very soon.

PALS are one of the ways to go - they need to sort out this nonsense of not being able to speak to the consultant's secretary.

I have also gone to the GP in this similar situation just recently and in fact the practice manager got he ball rolling for me very speedily.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Thank you for all the really constructive and helpful advice. I will get an urgent appointment for him at the GP as a first step. He only spoke to the office this morning and needs to talk to a doctor.
Thanks again.

Definitely PALS, this is just the type of problem they are brilliant at dealing with. Contact your local hospital switchboard and ask to be put through

Make an urgent appointment with GP and ask them to phone urology dept for you. Say how worried you are.Also phone the oncologist secretary and say there has been a delay and can the oncologist expedite the appt please.( I am a retired GP)

with our GP it is very much the case that he says "Jump" and everyone says "How high?" He certainly didn't hang about getting DH seen by a consultant.

It really seem ridiculous that you can't speak to the consultant's secretary. I'm on first name terms with DH's and nag the poor boy frequently about getting things done.

Hate to say it because they're under so much pressure, but if youre really worried go to .A & E.

Unbeknown to me, I had been over looked at local hospital due to the department been taken over by another hospital.
I was quite worried as time was going on & I considered it to be urgent.
So I went to my GP and asked him to enquire on behalf.
He rang right away whilst I was in his surgery.
It was sorted there and then.

So I would say GP first port of call
If you can't get an appointment right away then ask to speak to GP by phone as its urgent.

Good luck

Ring the CEO and say you wont speak to anyone else its him/her or the papers!

Definitely contact your PALS department as well as sending a letter and CC it to the CEO of the hospital , plus, I would be contacting the GP again or the Practice Manager as something clearly has gone wrong somewhere down the line. Its not what you need , to be chasing up appointments and hospital consultants when your husband and you both are obviously concerned and anxious.

I think th GP has not been as helpful as he could have been

Ring up or email the PALS office at the hospital straightaway - tell them exactly hat you've posted here. IME I've found them helpful and speedy.

chickenlegs how frustrating and upsetting - and worrying in the meanwhile.

It is ridiculous that you cannot get to speak to the consultant's secretary without a password!

No wonder people go via A&E in the hopes of getting into the system.

I agree with charley - if you can, hand deliver a letter.

Write personally to the consultant, keeping it on one side of A4 stating the facts. That should get things moving. If you live close enough to the hospital, hand deliver it.

Could your GP not contact the consultant or secretary and ask him the expedite the case.