Have you been to the hospital since COVID began?

[AnxietyDrivingMyLife]

I keep seeing threads where people have commented how the NHS is currently a COVID only service. Is this the case? Have you had procedures which have been cancelled etc with no sign of when the services will resume etc?
It sure how A&E functions but my guess is that if it’s life threatening and you are presented in A&E they have to treat you.

I’ve had an operation cancelled 3x. Have now been waiting 18 months.

Dd got referred to cardiology last June as her rheumatologist suspects her heart valves aren’t working properly. She had her first cardiac appt last week....a phone appt! I think it’ll be a year until she actually gets a scan/test. Hoping she doesn’t drop dead before then.

Oh and I can’t attend any of DD’s appts as she’s now 18yo. Including one appt where she got handed 3 rare illness diagnosis in one appt! She was hysterical when I picked her up. And of course had asked any questions so we still don’t know loads of stuff.

Yes dh broke leg over Xmas. Had great care. Just been signed off.
I had a minor accident that required stitches last week. Only took 90 mins to be seen and out.
I'm also under a dermatologist but that hasn't been quite as quick but it's happening.

I've had a colposcopy and a mammogram.

I fully expected women's services to be first to be "culled" but have been pleasantly surprised!

Yes, three times a week for work, and I don’t work on a covid ward how odd to think only thing covid related go on in hospitals

2 day long breast clinic apps in April( day long due to tests ect) found breast cancer
Operation May
3 week radiotherapy throughout June
2-3 follow up apps with consultants due to complication July/ Aug
Was offered a hysterectomy i had requested in July, but as i had just finished my radiotherapy and still recovering from op in May its been put back to Aug this year on my request
Rhuemy app Sept
Gastro/colonoscopy Nov
2 day patient admissions for iron infusions as severely anemic over Christmas. One the day before Christmas Eve
CT scan January
Got a pelvic ultrasound tomorrow and day long rhuemy app on Monday.
I know I have a lot going on, but ive been very suprised all my apps have gone ahead as planned. All apps on time, very little waiting, in fact less than i would normally see. I know ive been very lucky, I live in Northumberland where we have a very small population and I think that makes things much easier.

Yes, went to A&E with one of my children and then emergency surgery. Didn’t catch Covid. Felt like normal times apart from the masks and PPE. Similar waiting times, similar amounts of people. Just got a bit delayed waiting for Covid results for both of us to come back so we were but on an amber ward (Covid positive or uncertain results). That was a bit frightening but we didn’t catch Covid.
Certainly felt treated just as well as normal. I remember needing a C- section many years ago around Christmas time and being worried there would not be enough staff but there definitely was and this was similar, business as usual, albeit with a few extra precautions.

I fell down the stairs back in the first lockdown. Left it for about 2 weeks as I didn’t want to add pressure to the NHS but my ankle was so swollen and painful and just wasn’t getting any better. Got told off by the nurse in the minor injuries unit for it going sooner. Was xrayed, etc but ended up with a moon boot.

DD has been several times - she has Tourette’s and her tics will sometimes injure herself - she’s knocked herself out, broken a bone in her hand and knocked a mug of freshly boiled water over onto her stomach - great and thorough care each time, xrays, returned for further check ups, etc.

She’s had her regular 6 monthly appointment twice with the paediatrician for her Tourette’s.

She’s also been having regular counselling and CBT, although it has been over Zoom for the last couple of months

A friend of my mum has had a hip replacement and step FiL has had an ankle replacement

A friend has been having her regular chemo and 3 monthly checks for her (terminal) breast cancer

I work in a hospital it’s busy with none covid stuff and I don’t work with covid.

I have had an ultrasound at another hospital

My mum has also been to another hospital for non covid thing.

However where I work has had to make changes as beds were filled by covid they had to reduce other activities. Children’s hospital took in adult icu patients in first and third wave and so that again reduced capacity

8 year old daughter broke wrist in July. A and E and x rayed within 90 mins. Admitted and operated on within 4 hours. Overnight and home within 24. Couldn’t have faulted a thing. Amazing!

I’ve been loads of times. I’ve taken each of my parents individually for serious issues (cancer for one, surgery for the other) and my FIL has been in several times for appointments and stays. My ds also went for an accident. All of the above was urgent.

All purely anecdotal but .....

Last August I had post menopausal bleeding. I was seen by my GP and referred to a consultant. Altogether it was a total of 13 days from first ringing the GP to receiving hospital treatment.

My DM went to see her GP about an eye problem last Sunday 21st February (yep, GP saw her on a Sunday). He referred her to an eye specialist. She was called in to see the eye specialist on Thursday 25th February.

A friend had a consultant call her this week to say he was sitting at his desk waiting to see her when she was able. It sounded like he was a little desperate for patients.

The NHS is definitely open for business.

My son had his appendix out just before Christmas and I took my daughter to the minor injuries unit last month when she tried to open a can of tuna without a can opener.

I’ve been to A&E, several fracture clinic appointments, and had an operation with an overnight stay on an orthopaedic ward. All since Christmas.

I work with a vulnerable elderly lady who is also her husbands carer. She has been treated appallingly- Drs from her local surgery won’t come to her house even though she can’t leave it. She had a suspected stroke and paramedics wouldn’t admit her to hospital as it ‘wasn’t a place anyone would want to be right now’ and told her to contact her doctors. Social services very reluctant to do a social care assessment as their social workers ‘aren’t making any unessential trips to peoples homes right now’ thanks fully things are starting to happen for her now but falling between being too ill to really look after herself and her husband, but not so desperately ill she needs admitting to hospital, services have really failed her. It makes me so angry.

@VinylDetective radiographers aren't twiddling their thumbs at my trust. As a whole department we are actually struggling to to keep up with demand as so many treatments involve imaging of one sort or another, our backlog is immense. It doesn't look busy in waiting rooms as we have to spread out patients due to social distancing.

I'm also pretty pissed off with GPs who are refusing to see or examine patients and then send them for unjustified xrays as a substitute, this is not appropriate especially where radiation is involved. I'm looking at you GP sending a baby with and indicernible lump on his forehead, looked at via WhatsApp photo for skull views!!

I was referred for surgery over a year ago. I've still not had my first appointment. It has caused a great deal of pain, a level of disability and related issues. Most of my hospital appointments for other things have been by phone, including physio. My gp is good but again has only ever been able to offer phone appointments even when I've been really struggling.

Yes I've been in a couple of nights as an in patient during a miscarriage last year and then all the usual appointments for a subsequent pregnancy. Luckily for me it has all been fairly business as usual. This is a maternity hospital though so presumably less affected by covid.

I've got gallstones and have had one phone appointment and one a&e trip. A&e was fine, the phone appointment less so.

Unfortunately the treatment I need (gallbladder removal) is seen as minor, routine surgery, and I have no idea how long the wait is. It's routine surgery if you're not the one in intense, severe pain every 2 weeks.

My son had surgery last April. The wards were completely empty bar a handful of people. Follow up appointments the same, really quiet. I had to go to a&e last week to get some stitches and was surprised how busy it was. Had to wait five hours to be seen on a Tuesday evening. But I got seen and most of the people there, from what I could see and what they told me, were there for a variety of reasons.

Few times for appointments, the only difference is the waiting area is no longer full of people. They space the appointments, so we have always been alone there. The covid ward is compeletly separated and you cant see the abulance arrival area from outside, so the main hospital is actually so so quiet (which is what covid deniers record for their videos ;).

The first lockdown, A&E was quiet but I think that shows how many people turn up at A&E when they have no real need to be there. Most non chest xrays were done I peoe.who actually had a fracture for example rather than all the usual "it hurts a bit so we'll get xray just to be sure".

I went as a patient myself last week and it was packed in triage but most people coming should have been GP but they couldn't get in and were sent by 111.

I have developed a life threatening condition, been in hospital for emergency treatment but absolutely no help and didn't get to see the consultant before he discharged me!! It has taken months of begging, requesting etc to get a GP appointment (can't do, no face to face and discussing the complexities over the phone wasn't working).

I started a thread on here as I was so desperate for advice.

I have been told at 4 A&E visits (all help requested by others as u was unconscious or unable to converse) that I was being discharged due to covid, normally I would have been moved to the appropriate ward.

I needed help yesterday but couldn't get any and by the time I realised how ill I was I had been unaware of anything (unconscious and very low heart rate throughout) for 11 hours. It wasn't worth ringing for help once I'd come round as I know what the response is - it's disgraceful.

Yes, I’ve been in and out throughout, and had surgery. Dh has also had inpatient appointments.

I work on a surgical ward, currently we are taking post Covid & non post Covid Medical patients, who have had issues such as strokes, chest pain, leg ulcers, alcoholism, leg ulcers, cellulitis, sepsis, cancer, falls etc. as well as Covid.

ED (Emergency Dept) are also seeing lots of mentally unwell patients eg suicide attempts, psychosis, dsh most of whom are regulars.

The Renal Unit is still doing dialysis & the ladies Cancer Unit is still seeing patients, etc etc.
It's just elective surgery has stopped but will soon be restarting hopefully...

If you are unwell I would still definitely contact your GP / 111 / local ED as appropriate.

Btw I had chest pain recently & phoned my gp surgery. I was asked to go in to have an ECG & BP straight away with the nurse practitioner who showed a Doctor.
Luckily all was fine & they decided it was stress related.
I've had other issues & always had a call back from my GP or Nurse Practitioner during Covid.