Woman DENIED breast reconstruction after cancer due to funding cuts.

It means patients being referred to hospitals that might be miles away from where they live.

I was lucky to only have to travel 20 miles to a specialist Cancer centre, which is an NHS trust in its own right for my radiotherapy, others have to travel far further, or even stay at a hotel Monday to Friday during treatment.

I am very confused. It says that when she returned to her oncologist at Queens hospital Romford, which is Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust and within Havering CCG, I took that to be her local trust.

That's where her oncology team is.
Many people are referred for cancer treatment at larger centres.

(I thought you'd said you had been a nurse?)

What a bizarre method to deal with long waiting lists. Well, I say deal with long waiting lists, but that isn't actually what it does of course - the waiting list is still there (albeit now a crowd of people not officially on the list, but who clearly should be), you just stop looking at it.

Rather like refusing to open your bank statement because you know that you're in your overdraft. Doesn't do anything to help the problem, just putting your head in the sand.

Jesus Christ. This is horrific. Who can we write to about getting this ridiculous policy changed? You can’t just close a waiting list to massage your waiting time figures.

R0wantrees

I am very confused. It says that when she returned to her oncologist at Queens hospital Romford, which is Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust and within Havering CCG, I took that to be her local trust.

It then says that Mid Essex and South Essex CCGS are still funding the surgery but that Broomfield has closed it's list due to long waiting times.

That's what's confused me. I read it as they had closed the list to patients from other trusts.

Usually we are referred to hospitals in London from Queens though so I wonder why the treatment isn't available in London somewhere? We don't have to live in London to be treated there.

This is the problem with not having all specialties in all hospitals though isn't it? It means patients being referred to hospitals that might be miles away from where they live.

Reading the reply from the hospital it seems that the surgery hasn't been cancelled due lack of money but rather the CCG has closed the waiting list to out of areas patients because its own local patients are being prioritised.

No, what its says is that her trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust (MEHT) has closed the waiting list for DIEP procedures:

"A spokesperson for the Mid and South Essex CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) said: “We are sorry to hear of the difficulties this patient has experienced with her treatment. “The CCGs of Mid and South Essex continue to fund delayed DIEP reconstructive surgery for patients who had undergone a mastectomy as part of their cancer treatment. “The waiting list for this procedure at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust (MEHT) was growing and as a result patients were waiting too long. Therefore, it was agreed that no more patients would be added to the delayed DIEP waiting list at MEHT."

and that she is not able to be treated at other hospitals performing DIEP because they don't accept out of catchment area patients.

"Returning home dejected, Alison began looking into the possibility of having the procedure done on the NHS at another hospital. But the only other two she could go to were in Norfolk or Oxfordshire, and she would have to be a resident in those catchment areas."

Timeframe is also unfair. A woman who moved into our area finally plucked up courage to get hers done 12 years after her mastectomy. She had had such an awful time she couldn't face.more surgery and was so pleased afterwards as our breast surgeons are so lovely and the result was so good.

There was commentary in the press on the extent of 'rationing' last summer. The vast majority of cancer patients are suitable for reconstruction and those who want it usually have it done with no referral issues.

But trusts do have rules - such as type of operation and timeframe within which it must be scheduled.

Governmental planners think local commissioning is a good thing, because it allows regions to align their spending with their local needs. This sort of thing is an example of why it is a policy with very little public support.

Reading the reply from the hospital it seems that the surgery hasn't been cancelled due lack of money but rather the CCG has closed the waiting list to out of areas patients because its own local patients are being prioritised.

It's strange that there aren't hospitals in London that she could be referred to - which is where most patients from Queens are sent. Surely there is somewhere offering the surgery?

Oh that poor woman. I really hope she raises the money.

And to think people complained about not taking priority over cancer patients and accused Drs of killing them.

Women needing breast reconstructions after cancer should be the top priority. I wonder why they're evidently not?

Jessstan2

There have been a lot of changes in the last many years; while not all women are eligible for immediate reconstruction depending on their treatment plan ie radiation can be a factor, it is more common now (be it with implants, a flap from abdomen etc).

Even 12 years ago my mother had immediate reconstruction after her mastectomies (for BC with lymph node involvement) with a DIEP flap (she had a metastatic recurrence and passed two years ago, but not because she has her reconstruction).

Thanks for posting that. I honestly didn't know reconstruction was done on the NHS so it is news to me - I'm glad it is even though this poor woman has been denied it, for now at least. It does seem terribly early to consider a reconstruction only nine months or so after the mastectomy, I always thought there had to be a couple of years in between ops. because the patient is closely monitored for recurrence. A friend of mine had reconstruction but that was several years ago and I'm glad to say she is alive and kicking.

I hope her local hospital are able to offer her the operation in due course (and it goes without saying that I wish her to stay in good health). She looks like a lovely lady.

Oh how sad after everything she's been through.

I see mysogyny is definitely disappointingly still very much alive,just why, when will it end.
It's disgusting.