Waiting times for nhs operations

My GP didn't believe me - what a strange GP - most play it safe when any hint of cancer appears. I am so sorry you have had this distressing experience and hope that your investigations and treatments go smoothly.

God, growstuff that is absolutely awful I hope you get the second appointment soon

growstuff

It's over 8 months since I first went to my GP because I suspected I have breast cancer. Unfortunately, the GP didn't believe me and I had to wait 6 months for a mammogram, which confirmed that I do have cancer. There's a 62 day target between the time a suspicious change is spotted on a mammogram and the start of treatment. Cancer UK states "In an ideal world, people would start treatment within a month of diagnosis". It's already a month since an irregularity was spotted and I know I need a further MRI scan before a treatment plan. It's looking unlikely that I'll meet the 62 day target.

That's just awful growstuff. I really hope you don't have to wait much longer for that MRI.
You just feel so helpless because there's so little you can do.

Sending you best vibes (I've been a cancer victim also)... you can only pace yourself.
Sometimes a cancellation comes up, it did for me. But I wish you a good outcome, anyway.

Very worrying for you growstuff
I hope you don’t have to wait too much longer for the MRI scan.

It's over 8 months since I first went to my GP because I suspected I have breast cancer. Unfortunately, the GP didn't believe me and I had to wait 6 months for a mammogram, which confirmed that I do have cancer. There's a 62 day target between the time a suspicious change is spotted on a mammogram and the start of treatment. Cancer UK states "In an ideal world, people would start treatment within a month of diagnosis". It's already a month since an irregularity was spotted and I know I need a further MRI scan before a treatment plan. It's looking unlikely that I'll meet the 62 day target.

JenniferEccles

The NHS is not underfunded.
Billions have been poured into it for decades and the mammoth it has become just swallows it up and demands more.

It’s pretty obvious that a huge amount is wasted each year down to ineffective, overpaid higher management.
It’s badly in need of a radical overhaul.

This is my understanding of the general situation, and it must be so distressing for those poor souls who have waited years for treatment.
I confess I was one of the lucky ones as I had my hip replaced within five months of seeing the surgeon. I think things were speeded up a bit as I paid to see him privately for the initial consultation rather than waiting months to even get to that stage.

Meanwhile though until it is admitted that a radical overhaul of the entire NHS Is essential I fear things will only get worse.

Who exactly do you think is in a position to organise a "radical overhaul", if not the "overpaid higher management"?

It's ridiculous to claim the NHS isn't underfunded, when less is spent per head than in other comparable countries.

What about all the profit which is being siphoned off to all the outsourced private providers after the wholesale marketisation of the NHS after 2012?

I think the admin side of things needs an overhaul.
It seems you have to do half the work yourself in order to keep things running smoothly.

You make some very good points LadyWee and I agree with you but I still maintain that the only solution is for the whole system to undergo a complete, radical overhaul.

Although I am by no means claiming to have any idea what form that re-assessment should take I can’t help casting my mind back to when I was working in a large office many years ago and a Time and Motion (as it was then called) team arrived, stayed several weeks watching and taking notes of how things were run.
Oh how everyone hated being scrutinised like that but it turned out that their findings and recommendations lead to a significant saving as well as increased productivity.

Something like that would be a start surely, although I can imagine there would be the inevitable howls of outrage from the trade unions!

Sadly the NHS was never designed for the number of people who use it nor the treatments we expect from it. New treatments, life saving transplants and people living longer have all put a strain on the system over the years and each Government has been playing catch up. Whilst there is no doubt we need an NHS, I do think we need to have a public consultation on what we can reasonably expect from the service and how it should be funded. We really need to get into the situation where a radical overhaul is made instead of permanently fiddling with bits and pieces in the vain hope we can do things better.
My mother has been waiting many months for an appointment with an endocrinologist and it took years for her to be seen by a urologist despite persistent urinary infections. The quality of her life has been dire and now they've actually got around to investigating properly, it is too late to do anything. I just wonder how many other people are in that situation.
That said, 2 recent cancer scares for me have been handles with magnificence so they can get it right sometimes.

JenniferEccles

The NHS is not underfunded.
Billions have been poured into it for decades and the mammoth it has become just swallows it up and demands more.

It’s pretty obvious that a huge amount is wasted each year down to ineffective, overpaid higher management.
It’s badly in need of a radical overhaul.

This is my understanding of the general situation, and it must be so distressing for those poor souls who have waited years for treatment.
I confess I was one of the lucky ones as I had my hip replaced within five months of seeing the surgeon. I think things were speeded up a bit as I paid to see him privately for the initial consultation rather than waiting months to even get to that stage.

Meanwhile though until it is admitted that a radical overhaul of the entire NHS Is essential I fear things will only get worse.

Maybe. But also medicine progresses, new treatments, new operations and more can be done. Some cancer care is mind bogglingly costly. Many of the autoimmune treatments too. Very Premature babies on NICU - all
Expensive but necessary to save lives / improve quality of life. That kind of stuff just wasn’t
An option
When the NHS was ‘born’,
Science evolves and people expect more. The NHS was started in an era long gone where many conditions didn’t ‘exist’ many treatments weren’t an option, and demand was much less. Plus an aging and growing population. Stands for reason it would
Need increasing amounts of money to fund it properly. Unless you put more restrictions on what is funded and what isn’t which are hugely unpopular with the public..

The funding isn’t enough nor I’m the right places = lack of resource = longer waiting times. Has been going this way for years.

We then had a pandemic where we basically couldn’t provide routine care for about a year due do to firefighting ( operating theatres were turned into ITUs, GPs told they weren’t allowed to
Refer anything unless emergency)

Brexit forced out many international graduates.

The government and media ( and many of the public) crucified the NHS, so that morale and conditions are so awful even more staff left thus exacerbating the now long delays.

The government declared the pandemic over, while the uk still
Has high rates and admissions. There has been no additional support with this so has just been soaked up
By the usual services which delays things further.

My point is asking your GP to expedite your operation isn’t helpful (just adds to Their workload and they can’t magic up
More surgeons, ITU or operating theatres).
Complaining to the NHS doesn’t help as above!

The only way to install
Change is to consider who you vote for. Or pay. Or emigrate. And don’t support or believe the media hype about the lazy doctors, quiet wards etc.

Barmeyoldbat

We have had a Tory government for many years now and this is what you get.

The government are waiting for a large percentage of the population to sign-up, out of exasperation, to private American health insurance. Later, it will come in, stealthy, as a necessity by a government led American company.

The NHS is not underfunded.
Billions have been poured into it for decades and the mammoth it has become just swallows it up and demands more.

It’s pretty obvious that a huge amount is wasted each year down to ineffective, overpaid higher management.
It’s badly in need of a radical overhaul.

This is my understanding of the general situation, and it must be so distressing for those poor souls who have waited years for treatment.
I confess I was one of the lucky ones as I had my hip replaced within five months of seeing the surgeon. I think things were speeded up a bit as I paid to see him privately for the initial consultation rather than waiting months to even get to that stage.

Meanwhile though until it is admitted that a radical overhaul of the entire NHS Is essential I fear things will only get worse.

I've been quite lucky then, Calendargirl, waiting for less than a year. It's a shame your neighbor had to wait so long.

My Dad has been told for a knee replacement it will be at least 4 years. He has already waited 18 months plus to be seen and they have advised him to pay for a private mRI - he has no life insurance and i believe it is thousands. He is in his late 60s and worked until a few months ago
I blame this government btw for underfunding the NHS and overworking retirees

I can say nothing but good things about our wonderful NHS. Had my first knee replacement last September and having second one done tomorrow under 6 months between them and 10 weeks since I saw the consultant for this one.

Wow, some really long waiting times for some posters, I'm really quite impressed with our hospital waiting lists (I'm in Cheshire).

I was in hospital last year (!) with a woman whose gp phoned her and told her to go home immediately, where an ambulance was waiting for her.
She was bought into hospital with ridiculously low platelets, and the plan was to do a gastroscopy to see where she may be losing blood from.
The first time she was in the gastro unit when they realised she hadn't been told to stop taking omeprazole, so it was cancelled.
Similar the second time, because it's now required to stop them for longer before the gastro, and she had only stopped 3 days before.
The last time I spoke to her she has had been discharged and never heard from them again.

Barmeyoldbat

We have had a Tory government for many years now and this is what you get.

SNP government where I live, where we also pay extra tax. Still no op, after more than two years.

A friend had kidney stones , rushed into hospital as an emergency 5 months ago, awaiting the removal of a stent placed as a temporary measure which is causing considerable discomfort, had the pre-op three weeks ago, told to self -isolate because if she catches covid it will be several months at least before she even rejoins the list; the receptionist told her the Consultant had no right to say she was a priority and 'she'. she the receptionist, couldn't possibly give her a date in the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, private health care jumps the list every time; it should be stopped until the backlog is cleared.

That's the daft thing, isn't it?
I'm sure more is spent on redoing tests and and scans and paperwork, in the long run.
I dread to think how much I've cost the nhs, when in depth blood tests could have pointed the way.

There is also a thread on here somewhere (about 2 years ago, probably) that I started about dry eyes, which weren't getting better.
I've ended up with emergency appointments because of the state they're now in.

Miss adventure. I have been waiting for my gall bladder operation for a year and four month's my gallbladder has been infected twice in this time and i was hospitalized both times.
My doctor had expedited my operation i have had my pre ops but was told is the operation doesn't go ahead within six months i have to have all the tests again. Thankyou everyone for your replies.

I had a diagnosis of a non life threatening but very uncomfortable condition in November. I had a follow up appointment ( phone call) last week, so no treatment or advice for 5 months - the day of the phone call -NO ONE CALLED or told me the appointment was cancelled. I had to chase up.
Now waiting for another appointment. Feel forgotten. May go private.

The eye problem with toxoplasmosis/Lyme disease/retinitis was treated within one day after the original findings by the optometrist. On-going treatment in three different hospitals over 7 months. Nothing but praise for the caring, efficient, personable and lovely doctors at Stoke Mandeville, John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals in Oxford.

We have had a Tory government for many years now and this is what you get.