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AIBU?

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Original poster

To make a PALS complaint?

63 replies

everythingihave · 29/06/2026 08:22

A year ago (to the day!) I was running when I took a step, felt a pop in my knee and immediate agony.

I went to an UTC who x-rayed it and said there was no bone damage. After a lot of back and forth with the doctors on call they said that there was nothing they could do, A&E at the “big” hospital wouldn’t accept me and it didn’t warrant an orthopaedic referral because it was probably just overuse.

I went back to my GP when it hadn’t improved in a month, I was told to self refer to physio.

I did that at the end of July last year. I had a video appointment in January, a face to face appointment in February, and was then referred to a specialist hip and knee physiotherapist. I have been waiting for that appointment since February. My referral was accepted on 28/02.

Every month, without fail, I get an appointment booked that is then cancelled because the “consultant isn’t available”. I have been told I will need an MRI, but that they will first do x-rays to determine if it’s arthritis.

It’s now the fourth instance of my appointment being cancelled. It hasn’t been rebooked for July yet, but I’ve gone private because I can’t wait any longer. I’ve bypassed the specialist, booked an MRI, and will go from there.

Would it be reasonable to complain in this situation?

OP posts:
IdentifyingAsAWoollyMammoth · 29/06/2026 11:11

Complain.

My DP was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis last year and we've had four problems already either due to incompetent secretaries or incompetent consultant. We're not sure which. At a previous appointment consultant said she needed an urgent ultrasound. Heard nothing for ages so we chased up with the rheumatology dept. Said DP wasn't down for urgent, only routine, and it would be at least six months. An email to secretary got us a cancellation for tomorrow due to the notes staying it should be urgent. Previous to that the consultant wanted X tests and when DP went for them they had no record of two of them being required. As we're now on fourth error in the one dept we're making a complaint.

Sadly, I had to make a formal complaint a decade ago concerning the treatment and subsequent death of my grandmother at a different hospital.

My experience of the NHS is that some hospitals are truly excellent while others - or specific depts - are disaster zones, even sometimes despite being run by the same trust.

While we don't pay at the point of use we do pay for it through taxation and therefore we are customers. We'd complain about poor service from a garage; the NHS should be no different.

Raccoonsmacaroons · 29/06/2026 11:03

Yes, you should complain. It may actually give the department ammunition to request more staff if their stats get bad enough.

sofski91 · 29/06/2026 11:00

Don’t feel bad for complaining. It can act in the departments and staffs favour. Eg. Maybe they don’t have enough staff. Maybe a manager is trying to get funding for more staff but is facing a brick wall. You put a complaint in. This adds to their case to get more staff. Everyone’s happy (well apart from the accountant!)

Original poster
everythingihave · 29/06/2026 10:33

I just feel really let down. I know it’s not that important in the grand scheme of things but I’m so worried it’s been worsened or exacerbated by delaying treatment.

OP posts:
Passaggressfedup · 29/06/2026 09:41

As a defender of the NHS usually, in this instance, you NEED to complain. Totally unacceptable.

Original poster
everythingihave · 29/06/2026 09:17

Ohthisheat · 29/06/2026 08:45

This is very shocking and also unsurprising sadly. By all means complain , at least it will add to the stats. The NHS in some areas is totally fucked, they don't have resources to help patients properly but instead of saying so, they string them along. I speak from bitter and current experience.

Show quote history

I just don’t see that a consultant can be unavailable for so long and the clinic waiting list just builds up like this. It’s been since March.

All the while my pathway “clock” is stopped, because I’m technically being treated! It’s a joke

OP posts:
Original poster
everythingihave · 29/06/2026 09:04

KateSixer · 29/06/2026 08:40

Sadly I doubt if it would make any difference.

Unfortunately the NHS is run (wrongly) fit their convenience not yours.

A better system would allow you choice in your health care provider. Just like if you get bad service in Tesco you can go to Sainsbury's.

It’s not even that. It’s that it took so long (6 months) to get the initial video appointment and now I’m still waiting for the specialist. And, none of this time counts towards any eventual wait for surgery because the physio counts as “treatment”

OP posts:
Ohthisheat · 29/06/2026 08:45

everythingihave · 29/06/2026 08:35

Anyone?

I feel like it would be justified, but also think that it’s kind of pointless now that I’ve gone private because my care won’t be under the NHS anymore

This is very shocking and also unsurprising sadly. By all means complain , at least it will add to the stats. The NHS in some areas is totally fucked, they don't have resources to help patients properly but instead of saying so, they string them along. I speak from bitter and current experience.

KateSixer · 29/06/2026 08:40

Sadly I doubt if it would make any difference.

Unfortunately the NHS is run (wrongly) fit their convenience not yours.

A better system would allow you choice in your health care provider. Just like if you get bad service in Tesco you can go to Sainsbury's.

Original poster
everythingihave · 29/06/2026 08:40

LightlyRoamingOcelots · 29/06/2026 08:35

Go ahead.
I hope the private physio helps.

It's wrong for this kind of treatment to be so rationed, but a friend-of-a-friend who is a physiotherapist once said to me that it's always worth doing physio privately if you can possibly afford it because the vast majority of cases that the NHS physiotherapists actually get to see have been massively complicated and exacerbated from the patient having lived with the pain for months and adapted their stance and use of other muscles putting everything out of alignment. A properly functioning NHS Physiotherapy Service would need to have sufficient resources to operate with waiting lists that are less than a week, but that will never happen due to the enormous backlog.

This means that only those with spare money can access timely treatment and that is wrong but it is what it is.

Yes this is a very good point too. If people were seen in a timely manner then the issues they dealt with wouldn’t be as bad!

OP posts:
Orangebadger · 29/06/2026 08:38

Yes I would complain. May not make any difference but complaints highlight issues and consequences. I have worked for the NHS for 27 years and wish more people would complain.

Original poster
everythingihave · 29/06/2026 08:35

Anyone?

I feel like it would be justified, but also think that it’s kind of pointless now that I’ve gone private because my care won’t be under the NHS anymore

OP posts:
LightlyRoamingOcelots · 29/06/2026 08:35

Go ahead.
I hope the private physio helps.

It's wrong for this kind of treatment to be so rationed, but a friend-of-a-friend who is a physiotherapist once said to me that it's always worth doing physio privately if you can possibly afford it because the vast majority of cases that the NHS physiotherapists actually get to see have been massively complicated and exacerbated from the patient having lived with the pain for months and adapted their stance and use of other muscles putting everything out of alignment. A properly functioning NHS Physiotherapy Service would need to have sufficient resources to operate with waiting lists that are less than a week, but that will never happen due to the enormous backlog.

This means that only those with spare money can access timely treatment and that is wrong but it is what it is.