Anyone know about nhs waiting list times?

[WhatALump]

Hi I hope someone can help me and advise what I should expect re:waiting lists for a non urgent op on the nhs?
The nhs website says the maximum is 18 weeks from the date your initial appointment is booked but what if you don’t hear anything by then? I have been passed from pillar to post regarding a hernia that needs to be repaired. My gp referred me to my local hospital in 2017, who sent me for scans and tests. It took until May 2018 to see the results of those at which point that surgeon decided my case was too complicated for her and I needed a specialist plastic surgeon.

I waited for her to refer me to someone and in October 2018 got fed up of waiting for an appointment, contacted the secretary of the surgeon I was referred on to only to find they no longer work for the nhs.
I was then referred back to original surgeon, saw them in January 2019 where they said they would refer me to someone else. I received an appointment letter on 22nd February for an April appointment with this newest surgeon and saw them where they said they would operate but would add me to the list and I would get a letter in due course.

So, 18 weeks from 22nd February takes me up to 28th June. Should I expect to have had my op by then? What can I do if no letter arrives?

I’m fully aware that the nhs is stretched but having had such a to do so far I am anxious to get this issue sorted. My hernia is massive and impacts my life in many ways so I would like to know if I am able to expect them to stick to the 18 week window and what I can expect if they don’t?
Thank you

I’m sorry to say but I thought they had been scraped? There is nothing you can do but raise a complaint with PALs. Even when they had 18 week guidelines the hospital would be fined if they missed but no relief for the patient.

Regarding hernias - I was told mine wouldn’t be repaired as it was cosmetic not medical emergency. I did get repaired when I had another surgery - ectopic.

MrsPear oh thanks, I didn’t know that about the waiting times. I just Googled it and read what came up on the nhs website.

Thankfully the surgeon has already agreed to mend the hernia as the hole was quite big.

I can't speak for hernias but I remember when I needed to have my gallbladder removed, they told me it was a 12 month waiting list. Once I was on the list, I was operated on within 3 months

Whilst there is a referral to treatment time standard for most elective surgery, the standard is often not met. It entirely depends on the trust and the speciality.

There is some gaming that goes on too but it’s never talked about. So patients who miss the 18 week timeline aren’t then priories because they’ve already counted as a breach. Newly referred patients are sometimes given preference as they then won’t show as a second breach. Similarly it’s referral to treatment time not necessarily referral to operation so if you see a physio before orthopaedic surgery, it ticks the 18 week box, for example.

The board papers of your local trust will have performance data for referral to treatment times. You can compare several trusts if you have two or three close enough or are prepared to travel. You can ask where you are referred to and opt for highest performance.

In your case as you’ve been referred elsewhere to a different consultant the clock is put back to the beginning. It’s a new referral to treatment time target. The best way to get sorted is to make the secretary your best friend. They can update you and ensure you aren’t left in limbo too long.

My Dad has had a few surgeries over the last 12 months. Longest he waited was 11 months, quickest was 5 months but it took a cancellation to bump him up the list.

How long is a piece of string?

Ok thank you all you’ve been very helpful. I’ll just keep waiting and maybe make contact with the secretary if I can.

My consultant told me only last month that there’s an 18 week target for an operation i’m waiting for so I assume the targets are still in use. though in the same breath they implied I would likely have to wait longer

Complain to PALS, I know someone who’d been endlessly mucked around waiting for an operation and a complaint to PALS got them operated on in weeks.

18 week target for referral to treat (RTT) is still very much in place. It’s just that there is no bloody money so lots and lots of trusts are breaching the target for multiple specialties.

But...you have been treated very badly here. When the consultant left it sounds as though you were lost in the system for a while. The hospital should have procedures in place which prevent this from happening, but sadly it’s not uncommon to slip through the cracks.

I’d call the current consultant’s secretary, ask where you are on the list and ask how far ahead they are booking. Most places book around 6 weeks in advance. I’d hope you would be near the top of the list by now.

If when you speak to the secretary, you find that it is still going to be a long time until you are booked in, I’d call PALS and make a complaint. If the first time you were referred was 22nd Feb I’d have advised waiting a while, but actually you have been messed around so much you have good cause to complain here.

NameChange92 and Cheby thank you that’s very helpful indeed. I shall definitely contact the secretary and ask about where I might be on the list. X

A few years ago I needed an op. Waiting times were guaranteed to be no more than 3 months. My appointment was in September and I was told I would be added to the list.

In December I got a letter to say I had now been added to the list and my op would now be scheduled within 3 months - and it was

It's one of the reasons waiting list targets were scrapped