NHS - oh dear!

Sarahleigh

They are in a mess. I was meant to have an operation today, under 2WW, I arrived on time (7am) to find out that I wasn’t on the list. Turns out I had failed the pre op assessment due to my sugar levels (I am diabetic) but no one told me.

I'm sorry to hear that Sarahleigh but actually, not surprised.

The care you receive when you eventually do get seen can be excellent but it is the inefficiency which I find quite astonishing. It must waste an enormous amount of time and resources and is upsetting for patients.

Our ‘ sacred cow’ is at breaking point and has been for many years. I think that our healthcare in this country should cease to be a party political issue and be overseen by an independent governing body which reports to government but is not necessarily led by it. The Health Service has been let down by numerous governments, including Labour ones, and reform will not happen by throwing money at it. Governments have made this mistake time and time again, each time expecting a different outcome. The very definition of foolishness.

Luckygirl3. Sorry to hear the problems you’re having trying to book a 24hour monitor. Contact your surgery and ask to speak with a manager, explaining your issues, and hopefully you will get some assistance. Good luck.

Stop moaning, one of my son's waited three years for a hernia operation.

@jaffacake2, so sorry for what you are going through. I don't want to worry you, but I had a similar problem last year. I lost feeling in my foot that spread up my leg. Gp refused to take me seriously. Reluctantly put me on a 30 week waiting list to see a neurologist. My symptoms escalated so I had to go private to see a neurologist. Even that was a month wait. He rushed me off for a complete head and neck scan. Result, I have spent the last year being treated for a grade 4 brain tumour. If I had waited for the NHS I wouldn't be here now.

I will be eternally grateful to what the NHS has done for me in recent years. However, I have been to see my GP this morning as he called me in having referred to a specialist for advice about an ongoing problem. Apparently just writing for advice doesn't take nearly as long as referring me to a specialist, however, the only advice he could give is that there are no specialists available on the NHS within the our local health authority neither are there any within the authorities bordering our own. His advice was simply to carry on as I am and ignore it as much as possible

I’ve just been dangerously ill with a chest infection . Two paramedics visited me. One from hospice care and the other from my surgery. No doctor visited even though Hospicecare said it would be a good idea! After four courses of antibiotics and steroids I am on the mend . All thanks to the hospice care paramedic who made a fuss .
The nhs is broken

I have possibly 2 different issues, one respiratory (been under them for 4 yrs) and one gastro ( been under them just over 2) respiratory won't see me again until gastro has cleared me, takes so so long to get appointments with either. Spent months banging my head off a brick wall trying to get help. Both depts saying it is the other depts problem.
Got an endoscopy next week with gastro to look for a particular disease. Been waiting since the middle of December to get this far and gave up eating in March as causes far far to much pain, easier to be hungry than in hideous pain.
GP suggestion was stronger painkillers , which I refused as don't wish to get addicted.
Just hoping if they find what I think I have then both depts can talk to each other and decide best course of treatment going forward.
Was also referred to the head allergy specialist last August, and no idea how much longer than will be.

I have the NHS app for my doctors and regularly they type up wrong information or put down something I haven’t said. Only yesterday one out I’ve lost weight due to diet

I have lost weight 2,stone and I’ve never been on a diet the weight loss is a mystery

My god daughter has been seriously ill for over 3 years. She has been for tests of all kinds but it has been difficult to work out what the problem is. She has now been told she needs to see a specific specialist. There is a 70 week waiting list.

M0nica

My god daughter has been seriously ill for over 3 years. She has been for tests of all kinds but it has been difficult to work out what the problem is. She has now been told she needs to see a specific specialist. There is a 70 week waiting list.

If she is seriously ill with a 70 week waiting list I would pay for her to see a private consultant who will often then refer you for urgent tests/treatment on the NHS.

U have AMD and have had eye imjections and regular hospital checkups. Had an appointment at 11.25 this morning and was out at 12. I had had an eye test, an eye scan and a consultation with my specialist. This has happened ion every occasion. I cannot praise the Eye Department enough.

Eirlys How fortunate you are.

I wanted to be treated like my dog does at the Vet. A one stop shop. No sending you to large hospitals for most tests. Have one main hospital with cottage hospitals around. Put GP back to working as hospital Doctors. Hides behind sofa!

There should be a telephone number at the top of the letter with the consultant name on , phone it and speak to the Secretary ,say you have had a copy of the letter sent to your GP and it is incorrect, sometimes messages can be mixed up on the tapes that have been used but they should have also written in your hospital notes so will be able to check for the correct information. Please make the effort to get it corrected straight away otherwise your GP, notes will be incorrect.

I have read all these and I am in the same situation, I feel like I have been round and round in circles, I feel like I am getting things done going for scans and xrays and all sorts of rests, sometimes the same ones done several times, one particular day appointments in 3 different hospitals, we had to race around them to make sure we got there in time, scans and things for illnesses I knew for sure I didn't have, every finger , toe. knee and ankle scanned or xray while waiting for a full body scan - why? then some results sent to me, letters lost, some results to GP some to whoever asked for the scan, others you have to phone and can can't get through - total chaos. I really believe all this going for test etc is to make us feel that we are being treated but actually we aren't and it is just keeping us from going on the waiting list so Rishi can carry on saying that the waiting list has gone down I can't think of any other explanation

My DH was called in to the surgery for a general health check-up. He hadn't been to a doctor for years and has always been very healthy. He rang me from the surgery to say that his BP was so high they'd called 999 and he was stretchered into an ambulance and sent to A & E. He spent the day there with them trying to get his BP down. They wanted to admit him - he wanted to go home - so reluctantly they discharged him home with a mass of tablets and told him an appointment would be made for him to see a cardiologist. That was in November. The surgery continues to dole out repeat prescriptions without even seeing him. He had an email asking him if he still wanted an appointment with the cardiologist, and asking him how far he was prepared to travel, but apart from that he hasn't heard a word from anyone. Shameful!

I have to say, that we are having excellent service from the NHS. My DH saw a GP about a month ago, she put him on the two week pathway, he saw someone very quickly, he said scan needed, had that , saw consultant the next week, had an op the next week. We got the results yesterday, sadly it's cancer, he's having another scan tomorrow and we see the team again next week when the second lot of histology will be back. The specialist cancer nurse was absolutely wonderful, I know we're really lucky to live near two centres of excellence. As for me I got a new knee lasr year five months after the initial xray, at a unit that only does hips and. knees.

I had an eye operation over 18 months ago but told I should have another very soon after. I’m now on my 7th cancellation and each time I receive a text with letter to be opened online. I then do that but then get same letter in the post. Then get another text asking if I have read the letter. A few days later the appointment gets cancelled. I live in hope the latest appointment will actually take place. What an awful amount of money the NHS is wasting in administration

Eirlys

U have AMD and have had eye imjections and regular hospital checkups. Had an appointment at 11.25 this morning and was out at 12. I had had an eye test, an eye scan and a consultation with my specialist. This has happened ion every occasion. I cannot praise the Eye Department enough.

I took my late mother in law to our local eye clinic.
He passed a page of text across his desk and asked her to read it: I informed him that my mother in law is blind 😡

MOnica I suggest that you try to get your 24hr ECG sorted before September because there may not be much point of seeing the cardiologist unless the results are available to him.
I would go into the surgery and speak to the ‘care navigator’ and see if she can sort the appointment to have it done .
I prefer receptionist to care navigator, as the latter gives the impression that they can sort these things out for you 😀

I am going to have to rebook my cardiac appointment as it has come through with a date when I am on holiday. I will meniton it then.

I’ve just had a hip replacement on the NHS and I’m extremely pleased with it. Had to jump through hoops for several months, but once I got a referral to the consultant the process was surprisingly quick. I’d been fully expecting a queue of years and having to go private, as for the first one.

One health authority does not share results with another. Had blood tests done at one hospital, but referred for treatment at another in a different area. Hoping I can share results via NHS app on my phone. No joined-up system on computers. Do not understand.

Just reading all this I thought I'd let you know about the letter I received from the NHS today saying I was removed from the list for cervical screening due to one of 3 reasons. The reason for me was I had a hysterectomy 27 years ago and have never been called for screening in all that time. I assumed I had been removed all those years ago as I never received an appointment after the operation. Where on earth did they dredge my name up from!