How many people have been failed by the NHS during lockdown?

[Polnm]

My DH has cancer.

His appointment in April was by phone
His appointment in August was postponed until October

How is this acceptable? Hospitals are empty whilst patients can’t access care.

GP appointments by zoom with a 2 week wait for a basic blood pressure check in person or to take bloods

Why isn’t there more publicity and outrage about this?

We can’t be the only family going through this surely?

That not really true though is it? Many people don't believe the solution is all or nothing. Not the same as wanting to remain in total lockdown or relishing the prospect of a second wave.

Fully agree. I had no problem with the initial lockdown, nor even the initial closure of GP surgeries, hospital depts, etc. Breathing space was needed for the NHS to reorganise itself. But they should have been re-opening a hell of a lot quicker than they did. And they should, at the very least, have had someone answering their phones during normal hours throughout so that patients could at least have someone to talk to and be kept informed. As it was our GP surgery closed down completely and just put on an answerphone message to either phone 111 or 999 if an emergency. That's absolutely absurd. There was absolutely no reason why they couldn't have had someone behind the shutters at the reception desk answering the phone, etc.

Same with our oncology dept. Completely shut, shutters down, day after day, week after week. Phone calls diverted to answering service.

So many areas of the NHS just shut themselves down and hid behind the shutters, providing no way of contacting them, no way of providing treatments, support, etc.

I really hope we get a proper inquiry into how the NHS handled it and that the managers etc responsible are called to account.

My mum went to the doctors with back pain, pre-lockdown, and was referred for a back x-ray.
That was during lock-down. She went, and she was then referred for a bone density scan.

Nearly 4 months later she hadn't even had any indication where she was on the waiting list. So she decided to go private. She called up a private hospital in the nearest city, and had an appointment for the scan a week later. Cost her £150.

These stories are really sad. My main fear during this pandemic was not that a member of my family would get this virus and die, but that one of us would get ill in another way and be unable to be treated.

My 95 year old nan.
She can't hear people on the phone so telephone appointments are useless...She is in agony with her athritis but can't access her usual treatment. She was left waiting outside the surgery for 45 minutes (stood up I may add) before someone came out to tell her that her appointment was cancelled. The elderly have been abandoned in our area
95 years old

My DM fell at the end of April. We got her to bed but she was in agony. Telephone appointment at which GP said she had sciatica and to take pain killers.

Three days later and still in great pain she slid out of bed and couldn't get back. Paramedics didn't want to take her to hospital so just got her back into bed and left. By now she was in so much pain she was delirious. So called a second ambulance and they found she was partially paralysed from her sternum down. One of the paramedics said she suspected the first lot of paramedics had injured her back by hauling her into place - they were two slight, short women and DM is 5'8".

She was in hospital for over a fortnight and is now at home in a hospital bed with carers coming in five times a day. If she'd been examined after the initial fall we might be looking at a very different situation.

I have an independent midwife for extra pre and post natal appointments as NHS midwifery services are so dire right now. I don’t blame the midwives.

Out of interest, how are we going to be vaccinated for Covid if GPs and nurses aren’t seeing patients face to face?

YANBU, but I wonder if the NHS themselves need to push for more to happen as they are in control of it at the end of the day. We've all heard stories of clinical staff who are not on the COVID wards sitting around twiddling their thumbs, and GPs all "working from home" and it really isn't acceptable. There will be more deaths from non-COVID related illnesses without a doubt.

not as serious as most of you but I have pain killing steroid injections, without them I can't walk and can barely stand, my last appointment was cancelled and no more were made, my last lot have worn off and I'm now taking the max amount of painkillers I'm allowed, but it doesn't keep me pain free, night after night I lie in bed unable to sleep through the pain, I usually fall asleep through exhaustion but wake up after an hour or so, I really don't know how much longer I can go on for :-(

Dds cardiology appointment cancelled in April. She was due to have an echo. No appointment through yet.

I was referred in February due to post menopausal bleeding, fibroids and polyps. I was supposed to have them removed, and an endometrial biopsy done, within 4 weeks. I'm still waiting. I rang at about a month ago and was told the gynaecology lists hadn't restarted and they didn't know when they were going to.

I've got a very painful disability in my hips, back and pelvis. I was put on the waiting list for my regular treatment in March. I got a letter in May saying the lists had stopped and another one in July saying the same thing. I phoned my GP because I've been in tears with the pain, he said "you've lived with it a long time so what do you want me to do about it?"

I had a phone appointment from ENT. It was excellent. They sent me a copy of the letter they sent to my GP. My medication only got changed after 3 months when I sent another copy of letter to my GP and asked them to action it.

My pain consultant phoned me, she booked me in for Botox for my migraines back in May. I'm going again in a couple of weeks. I'm going to talk to her about my pain in my hips etc when I see her incase she can speak to my other consultant.

DH went to urology for an appointment and my mammogram that was cancelled in March was done 2 weeks ago.

DS2 has worked through the pandemic as a nurse in A&E in a hospital in another area. He most certainly hasn't been twiddling his thumbs. He's been incredibly busy.

@FluffyKittensinabasket

Out of interest, how are we going to be vaccinated for Covid if GPs and nurses aren’t seeing patients face to face?

Exactly, I am more worried about the flu jab too, how are we supposed to get that this year? I normally have mine in October.

I had an MRI for a painful leg a week before lockdown began. Several weeks later, I was informed that it showed a stress fracture, but that appointments were delayed indefinately. I've had to google what I should do for a stress fracture to heal. No idea if its healed yet. All I can get is a telephone appointment with my GP to prescribe pain medication.

I think the NHS has been utterly pathetic during this crisis for non covid patients. This shut down in healthcare hasn't happened in other mainstream European countries, and I don't see how it can be justified. Its extraordinarily risk averse, to the point that its causing serious harm.

Thankfully not as bad as some of the stories on here. I've developed a frozen shoulder in lockdown on my dominant side, and the non dominant arm is also now effected. I was sent for an mri scan which was all quick and efficient. However since then my GPS surgery have been nothing short of a calamity. For some reason a paramedic is dealing with my case. I have asked why I am not being dealt with by a doctor and just get passive aggressive replies with no actual answer.

He has completely misdiagnosed me (said I had an impingement even though the scan results specifically ruled that out). When questioned he just said he uses different terminology to the doctors.
I have had to pay to go private and will have my hydro dilation early September as soon as I can get time off.
I also discovered I have an overactive thyroid, but when I logon to try and get an appointment the 9 nearest hospitals have zero appointments available.
I've been told on the NHS my wait time for both aspects will be 18 months plus.
I know it isn't life threatening but it is incredibly limiting. I have lost the use of one arm, the other is following quickly. Not a single person has asked me anything about how it effects me, how I'm coping day to day or even any advice on what to do whilst waiting 18months.
I am unfortunately going to put a complaint in and move doctors.

I agree. My baby is waiting for a lobectomy. It was cancelled and we’ve had no letter, or anything to let us know they are restarting, when this will be.

His lung is under a lot of pressure, and the mass can quite easily become malignant. I want it out ASAP.

@Alabamawhirly1

It's resulted in my Drs surgery giving me the b12 vile and needle needed and suggesting I find someone trained in administering injections. We do know a nurse who is willing to give it to me outside, but then I thought last night how will we dispose of the needle safely with no sharps box etc

This isn't new tbf. Dh had to give me injections after I gave birth. They should have given you a disposal box which is then collected.

I don't think it's the end of the world to make people administer their own regular injections. If it frees up nurses time so they can be doing somthing more specialised. Diabetics don't go to the nurse every time they need insulin do they.

Totally agree it is possible and my husband gave me my injections after having our children too, but those are similar to epipens and rather easy, with the b12 it is a proper needle, you need to draw it up, check the air is removed etc....so it is a bit more technical than than the post baby ones.

I am well aware many people have to give themselves their own injections and I am not being precious about me having to do it myself (but should I really have to watch a YouTube video to learn how to do this?) when this is considered something that should be given by a nurse?

My situation is minor but I find it scary that it is representative of much bigger and greater medical needs when we can go and have facial treatments and our nails done, but a nurse can't provide treatment. It all just seems very wrong.

It really does seem to be a postcode lottery. I’ve had blood and urine tests processed fine by my GP surgery, had neurology tests and recently an urgent cystoscopy. Really shocked some people can’t even get a urine test.

@BertyFlanter I saw a paramedic once who fobbed me off saying “why do you want to see a doctor, what do you think they’re going to do” and tried to send me away with a link to the NHS website that I had said I had already seen. Turned out I had nerve damage.

Would urge you to ask to see a proper doctor and/or make a complaint.

I am well aware many people have to give themselves their own injections and I am not being precious about me having to do it myself (but should I really have to watch a YouTube video to learn how to do this?) when this is considered something that should be given by a nurse?

You are not wrong. Learning by YouTube is not the way it should be done.

I give myself two different ones and was trained on how to give them in person. Both are administered differently. YouTube is a dodgy way to learn.

If NHS care is as patchy as it seems from this thread, have any news outlets taken up this issue?

Sorry I ought to have written With NHS care as patchy.

So many of the stories on here are heartbreaking and shocking in equal measure and my heart goes out to all of youm facing serious illness yourselves or with your loved ones.

I'm embarrassed to moan about something as trivial as my knee, but I've been failed by the private organisation contracted to deliver the musculo-skeletal service where I live.

I was referred in May last year, in June a physio correctly diagnosed the problem (arthritis and a tear in the medial ligament) and thought I would probably need surgery. But she couldn't refer me, I had to see a senior phsyio for that. There followed 13 months of miscommunication and nothing was ever done unless I followed it up. The final thing the senior physio wanted was an MRI scan, which was held up slightly because of Covid but eventually done in April at a mobile unit in a health centre car park.

In June this year, the senior physio agreed to refer me to a consultant. In July, I decided to see a surgeon privately, so rang to ask for a copy of the referral letter to take with me.

There isn't one. They're not even allowed to make referrals at the moment, apparently. They have a list of referrals that they will make as soon as they are allowed to make them. They have absolutely no idea when this might be. If they hadn't been such a bunch of hopeless fuck-ups, this would have been done long before Covid.

Meanwhile, the big orthopaedic centre for this area, NHS but run by a charity, stands empty, in darkness. What a bloody waste.

@FluffyKittensinabasket

Out of interest, how are we going to be vaccinated for Covid if GPs and nurses aren’t seeing patients face to face?

Probably be sent the needle in the post and told to YouTube it.

@Valleydad99

Yep. Big lump on one of my testicles out of nowhere with a lot of pain. Went to Doctor's to be told "it's probably cancer and you need a scan to check it but urology's closed due to covid, so you'll have to wait". That was in April, I'm now having all the classic symptoms of testicular cancer and urology is still shut, so my choices as I see them are - Die, get better, or remove my own testicles just in case and die of an infection.

Not great and will be a great story for my wife to tell my kids if I do die that no-one gives a crap about you unless you're not wearing a mask.

This sounds awful. And so unnecessary.

My husband had something similar a couple of
months ago (but no pain in his case). He spoke to his GP over the phone, and sent him a photo of the lump.

GP said it was probably nothing (because of my husband's age) and there was no point in him having a face to face consultation, because to be sure he'd have to have a scan. So he referred him for a scan without seeing him.

The scan was done within two weeks and confirmed that all was well. If that could be done for someone who was thought unlikely to have a serious problem it's very hard to see why it couldn't be done in a case like yours where a serious problem is suspected.

I do hope something can be sorted for you soon, and others who have had diagnostics or treatment postponed.

@Valleydad99

This is terrible, I would keep calling your GP or go to A&E. I think the fact it’s painful is slightly promising as often cancer lumps aren’t painful.