Hospitals opening up?

Check BBC news I’m sure there was something about hospitals today. It sounded more positive but can’t remember if it specifically mentioned non urgent cases. I hope you don’t have to wait too much longer as I know even so called non urgent can have a hugely negative impact on your life. Fingers crossed for you.

I am in the same position Vetrep
I can get no definitive answer except it won’t be soon for non urgent cases.
Like you mine is very urgent to me as I am trapped indoors.

They are working hard to catch up. Unfortunately with extra safety measures they can deal with fewer patients in a day than before.

It isn't helped by the number of people who just don't turn up for their surgery!

Not a surgical procedure, but GS has a hospital appointment tomorrow. It had originally been scheduled for April. It was all very last minute. DIL got a phone call earlier this week, asking if she wanted to take a cancellation. But hopefully a sign that things are moving again.

I think it’s very area dependent. Speaking with friends from across the country the speed, or otherwise, varies hugely. Here Mr C has had a fairly urgent appointment postponed three times. I’ve been told I’m on a waiting list to be on a waiting list ?.

I was going to arrange for a couple of BCC's to be removed at the start of the year, but seeing as they're going nowhere I'll leave them for the time being. It's a nuisance though because I have to fiddle about with the warfarin before any procedure can go ahead.

I know the Louisa Jordanm in Glasgow's SECC is being used to catch up with appoinments and minor procedures and has been now for a couple of months ,GP's are still thin on the ground according to my friend in Edinburgh who cant get to see her GP or even get a nurse on the phone for advice .My own GP surgery is seeing patients ,masked and sanitiser at the front door on the way in and out of the back door on the way out

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond. I feel a bit more positive!

It depends on what it is. Mum has an appointment for her macular degeneration. DD1 had colposcopy but not heard of actual non urgent surgery yet.

My knee op was cancelled due to covid and Guy's has been in touch with a new appointment already so I think they are getting back on track now.

That's good news Flexible; fingers crossed I'll hear about mine soon then.

Hopefully they are now getting back to putting people on lists, which the BBC said this evening will involve organising over 2 million people who'll have to wait for a further 18 weeks for surgical procedures. Another 80,000 people may have to wait over a year for their surgery. It was reported, however, that Cancer patients are now starting to have the treatments which had been stopped or delayed due to the pandemic.

The NHS is beginning to treat elective conditions but there is a big backlog, also there are going to be many cancellations this winter, it’s going to be a lottery.
I am on the list myself and speaking to my GP, no prediction on likely waiting time, although he did point out that private treatment could be done “next week”.

My DH is having a CT scan on Sunday morning -part of his on-going treatment though.

I was thrilled to receive a letter from the Neuro Dept at Q.E. Hospital on Wednesday. My scheduled appt back in mid March had been cancelled (by ME! as I'd calculated how many people would be involved in transporting me there + time at the H. - they fully agreed at that time), so now they're back on my case. On Monday afternoon the Dept will phone me and assess my current situation, and we'll take it from there...
Thrilled, I am, absolutely thrilled! At 75 it's great to know that, although old, I'm not forgotten

I’ve see my GP face to face, about 4 weeks ago and a friend has had a knee op, but that was done privately 2 days ago.

Nearly all Private hospitals are still being governed (and paid for!) by the NHS. This means theatre dates are given priority to urgent elective NHS procedures which were either delayed by Covid or are urgent life changing operations and lesser priority procedures will sadly be at the back of the queue, probably until the early part of next year. There is a long waiting list of NHS catch up procedures and whilst it doesn’t help anyone on the waiting list, unfortunately we are living in strange times (just like the war years when hospital beds were given priority to our injured soldiers - although we didn’t have the advancement of knee and hip replacement surgeries then!) Unfortunately there is no way to jump the list and priority is given to cancelled procedures and life limiting surgeries, but slowly and gradually a few operations are gradually being undertaken, but you are more likely to get the surgery carried out quicker through an NHS hospital rather than the facilities used by the NHS in private hospitals. This is obviously a personal opinion, but based on insider knowledge.

I work in Outpatients and the amount of patients who just don't turn up is high in numbers. Even a phone call on the day to cancel at the last minute is to much to ask so we can get on instead of wasting time waiting incase they are just running late. The same happens with elective surgery and the hospital is then expected to rebook with patients then complaining they will have to wait to long and why can't they be seen sooner as they didn't have surgery first time round. If patients just contacted the hospital someone else can have the surgery they need and the cancelled patient would be rebooked. Also the rule is to come on your own unless you need someone with you which is fine but this rule is one other person not two or even three people. I questioned one who had two people with her and was told her daughter who was an adult didn't want to wait alone, so i suggested her husband waited and her daughter came with her but she insisted her husband had to be with her. In any case there wasn't really any reason for the patient not to come for her examination alone. These situations mean to many people are in the dept and distancing is then more of a problem. The abuse we get if we challenge is getting worse and i'm sick of people telling us we don't have covid so we should be able to come in.
Sorry if i've gone on a bit.

I've been to hospital for a consultant appointment and am now waiting for a surgery date. I was told 2 months behind.

Had my new knee on Friday, postponed from March. Good service, but no visitors, and compulsory pre-op quarantine.

A friend if mine us due to start cancer treatment end of month. He has been needing to get a stent removed from his bile duct for months as it is so,so uncomfortable and painful and has given up on his hospital appointment even though he's been for 4 consultations.... He has tried to go private & pay thousands and still waiting on them getting back. Two weeks before his radiotherapy starts so not looking good.

I’ve had a consultation with a gynaecologist, an ultrasound scan, and have been sent notification of 2 follow-up appointments. All back to normal here in Berkshire.

I’ve had a hip replacement and cochlear implant within the last 4 weeks. Both were on priority list just before lockdown.

Just returned from DH’s CTscan this morning. He said the Department was busy - they’re trying to catch up.