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?

The problem is that the NHS is a vast organisation with many brilliant and dedicated staff and a fair few lazy and incompetent ones.

Management are also frequently incompetent and misincentivised.

However, the stopping of virtually all non Covid work during lockdown was scandalous and I think we were pretty much unique across Europe in GPS not seeing patients face to face for so long.

Whilst there were heroes in the NHS during Covid, there are also lazy and cowardly practitioners. The government wanted us to treat the NHS as this single heroic body, so it is unsurprising it is now being blamed as an organisation for its failings.

I really think it depends where you are. I am in London and called my GP because of pain in my armpit / breast. She called me back the same day. I saw her in person the following day for an examination. I then had blood tests taken the day after and have already (within 2 weeks) received an appointment for a scan at my local hospital. There is nothing I can complain about. I really feel for those who are not getting the same quality of care.

@LunaMuffinTop

The NHS bashing didn’t take long to rear it’s ugly head again did it yes things could be better but at the end of the day we are still trying to deal with the pandemic and nothing is back to normal yet. It’s not the hospitals fault that people can’t be seen at the minute you want to try blaming the government not the hospitals that are trying their best. Bet everyone complaining on here about missed hospital appointments and blaming the NHS are the same people who where stood on their door step thanking them not that long ago. What happened to thank you NHS or has that gone out the window now that they aren’t quite so important anymore. Is it not better that your DH is being kept safe from coronavirus by having to wait a bit longer for a face to face appointment or would you rather have him laying in a hospital bed alone dying from coronavirus. No one is getting to see a doctor at the minute it’s shit but I think the idea behind it might be to try and stop the spread of the virus again you know so that millions people don’t end up dead.

It isn’t waiting a bit longer for a face to face appointment, it is potentially dying as a result of missed appointments. How many people will die did to lack of care now during the next 5 years?

In the Times, Oncologist Karl Sikora has described the impact of months of cancelled appointments and treatments as an 'unfolding disaster.' A previous poster asked why people put up with this. The answer is demonstrated on every thread about the myriad, serious problems with the NHS. It is a dysfunctional paradigm replicated by no other country on the planet. Questions and criticism are dismissed by its legions of fanatical cheerleaders, many of whom work for the NHS. It is the fifth largest employer in the world. Wedged between a global mega Corp, Walmart, and China's National Petroleum company, which is involved in exploration and drilling across continents. Nothing will ever change while this continues.

In the rest of the developed world, health care did not shut down because of Covid. But in the rest of the developed world, insurance plays a part. This dysfunctional, bloated behemoth requires reform. This will never happen because of the dishonesty about its profound failings.

A senior oncologist has described cancer care as an unfolding disaster after research found that 250,000 patients were not referred to hospital for urgent checks owing to delays at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.Five-year survival rates are expected to fall after the study, due to be published this week, found that GPs made 339,242 urgent cancer referrals in England between April and June, down from 594,060 in the same period last year.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cancer-care-is-an-unfolding-disaster-warns-top-oncologist-k2n3zx8s6

It's a national disgrace

I've got Rheumatoid Arthritis like a PP and I was due to be seen early April which didn't happen. I've been paying for private phone consultations with a Rheumatologist who works at another NHS hospital in London. He said they are only allowed one patient in an hour in the NHS hospital and are only having new patients in as they can't diagnose online/on the phone. Existing patients are all on the phone and they have to take our word for it that things are ok/not ok. If I hadn't taken out a new credit card to pay for the appointments I'd be sat here in excruciating pain with damage to my joints occurring. Makes me fearful for what care will look like over winter.

I’m allowed to be angry about that while also appreciating the work nhs staff have done in dealing with the pandemic. It’s possible to hold more than one thought about the same thing.

I agree. I am not blaming individuals. I am cross with the system.

I have been in 3 hospitals in the past week. They are certainly not anywhere near to being full. I read a news article that said a consultant was seeing less than 25% of their usual patients at a clinic. Some I imagine is because there is reduced access to GPs for referrals, some because people have been put on hold and appointments cancelled.

Unfortunately we were asked to save the NHS but this was purely the structure and NOT the patients.

I will never donate to NHS charities again.

GP’s should be called to question about what they were doing in the midst of this crisis - patients were dealt with by 111.

I have deteriorating sight problems, my appts have been changed and cancelled 5 times, my next appt in Sept has now been cancelled.
Can't get past telephone conversations to gp to sort long term pain, it needs a referral to consultant but who knows when that will happen.
My sisters chemo was stopped during lock down even though it was oral chemo, this has definetly shortened her expected life expectancy.

@Twilightstarbright

I've got Rheumatoid Arthritis like a PP and I was due to be seen early April which didn't happen. I've been paying for private phone consultations with a Rheumatologist who works at another NHS hospital in London. He said they are only allowed one patient in an hour in the NHS hospital and are only having new patients in as they can't diagnose online/on the phone. Existing patients are all on the phone and they have to take our word for it that things are ok/not ok. If I hadn't taken out a new credit card to pay for the appointments I'd be sat here in excruciating pain with damage to my joints occurring. Makes me fearful for what care will look like over winter.

You shouldn’t need to be paying it is wrong. What about people who can’t afford to pay/can’t access credit.

Winter is worrying. I spent a bit of time in a&e over the past year (that is a whole other issue of why cancer patients end up in a&e) and the emergency system was on it knees before cv19.

I am not buying the propaganda Luna.

There is something very wrong with this picture.

More people do need to see their doctors and specialists for face to face appointments. We shouldn't accept the neglect of all of these conditions for covid. I am starting to wonder if we are being primed to find the NHS so disatisfying so we are less likely to object to major reform and sell off.

@lunamuffintop if the district and community nurses can carry on seeing all their patients face to face taking bloods giving insulin draining rocket drains doing dressings then why can't doctors see their patients f2f and why can't oncology and all the clinics see them with PPE protection? It's an utter nonsense. Cancer patients have been and continue to be utterly failed by this breathtaking (and right now ongoing) scenario. We thanked all the NHS workers (of which I am one: a nurse) because they were (and are) heroes. But that does NOT mean we downplay or trivialise catastrophic fallout from care management policies now. It's a national disgrace with no end in sight.

Denplan - still paying, haven't had any appointments
Haematology - have been fantastic but telephone appointments only and meds couriered to me
Dermatology - 34 week wait is standard but that's now got another 14 weeks on top so that's what, a year I've not been able to do any exercise (including a walk) for

They need to be taking steps to get everything back up now. We have been relatively lucky that our online appointments have worked well on the whole but there is a limit to what they can do.

We are still waiting for two procedures which where done as urgent referrals and due by the end of March. Thankfully they aren’t for anything life threatening but the results will change the course of future treatment and delays may cause that treatment to be harder.

We actually do have a face to face appointment today. His first other than a blood test since March! I am hoping this is the start of trying to catch back up.

I'm a practice nurse that has been working all through this, seeing hundreds of patients face to face without ppe at one point. I have since tested positive for antibodies.
Some awful stories here, particularly re cancer treatment, but we have never been so busy. Guidelines state we can only have a limited number of people in clinic, rooms have to be cleaned between each one, etc, staff are self isolating or off sick more than usual, having to cover unfamiliar roles and yes, spend many hours consulting by phone which works very well for most.
A two week wait for a routine blood test during a global pandemic doesn't sound so bad tbh. That's the norm around here anyway, considering many staff are on the way out and struggle to be replaced.
There's nothing wrong with buying a home sphyg and checking your own BP, in fact, research suggests you will get better readings. Just let your surgery know what they are. This was long since advocated before Covid times.

@Pudding51

I have deteriorating sight problems, my appts have been changed and cancelled 5 times, my next appt in Sept has now been cancelled. Can't get past telephone conversations to gp to sort long term pain, it needs a referral to consultant but who knows when that will happen. My sisters chemo was stopped during lock down even though it was oral chemo, this has definetly shortened her expected life expectancy.

I hope that your sister is ok. One of my family is on oral chemo and they couldn’t access the blood tests they needed due to cv19 which was worrying as their treatment was then at risk.

You need to push to get your appointments. I felt really awkward calling people about my DH but when I finally got him an appointment everything was not as it should be and he is now getting the tests done that would have been done in April if anyone had seen him then.

It’s an absolute disgrace. Some of the stories on here are heartbreaking and I’m so sorry about the way you’ve been let down.

This is a comparatively minor thing, but at the beginning of the pandemic some GP’s surgeries started cancelling children’s routine vaccinations. Someone posted on here concerned that her baby’s inoculations had been cancelled, without rescheduling, by her GP’s surgery. If I remember correctly she got an absolute kicking, and was told there’s a PANDEMIC on, the NHS is under STRAIN, how can you possibly think your child’s vaccinations are important.

Then of course some bright spark woke up and remembered that vaccinations actually prevent... wait for it... pandemics!! Our local surgery started sending out frantic messages summoning parents in for missed vaccinations and stressing that vaccinations MUST still take place on time, as normal.

I’m very grateful for the NHS but there are a lot of problems with it. It’s possible to think that.

I’m so sorry that’s happening.

My stepdad fell about a month ago and hurt his shoulder and they had in him to operate just over a week later. He also got his aneurism check last week (thankfully). My mum hasn’t been able to go with him for either, just has to wait in the car park, but at least hes been seen. All his physio appointments have been over the phone since his operation though.

Maybe the area you live in has been hit harder? I hope they resolve it soon, all the best to your husband.

Yep it’s shocking. But it’s the government dictating what hospitals can and can’t do. Our consultants are desperate to get services up and running again. We have managed to continue some cancer surgeries by booking them as emergency rather than elective but it’s the minority and simply not good enough.

So many sad stories in this thread which is why after a week I didn’t clap for the NHS after all the Tik Tok videos.

yes, spend many hours consulting by phone which works very well for most

Surely we won’t know if it works well for years? You can’t feel a lump by phone and some people play down symptoms. Others don’t have access to zoom and you can’t see a person on the phone.

This is absolutely appalling and shocking. I can not believe that there are still such limits on face to face contact for people with life-threatening illnesses and life-delibating conditions. People can have haircuts and facials - why on earth are doctors still not seeing patients face-to-face???!!!!!!

I know several people who have had horrible experiences. I don't know why there isn't more outrage. One of them could mean the difference between a woman in her 20s being permanently disabled and unable to work or making a good recovery. Two others relate to cancer treatment, with one poor lady left in dreadful pain unable to get an appointment, until after she is expecting to die.

The government have played a blinder they get to cut the NHS to the bone and blame covid. Not only that but if you complain you're selfish and cruel.

I have found this shocking from the beginning and find it shocking still OP

It is so horribly unfair that only Covid patients are/have been treated

The stress it puts people under (diagnosing with cancer, then no treatment given) is inhumane

I’d join a protest about this if there ever is one

It is a scandal of the highest order

Meanwhile hospitals have been lying empty

So we “saved the NHS“, but killed the patients...