Advice re NHS

[PostMenPatWithACat]

I don't think I'm being unreasonable I am under a department at Hospital A for ongoing treatment for a chronic condition. This has been so since 2016.

I have previously been advised that that if I sustain further fractures I am to be referred back immediately. I have. My GP has referred me back.

The referral has been refused because I live out of area. Out of area is 8.5 miles away and the big hospital has just taken over the little local hospital whose department has a dreadful reputation for this speciality.

I am at a loss about this when I am already a patient at hospital A and have been for 6 years and still receive ongoing treatment.

I have made many calls over the last two days and the response seems to be "computer says". How can it be an effective use of resources to refer me to a hospital that has no knowledge of my history.

I am perplexed.

YANBU it's absurd
YABU it's the NHS what do you expect

That’s annoying as I have a chronic disease (pancreas) and I’ve been under quite a few London hospitals with no problem.

Thank you for replying. I am at a loss to understand it.

www.nhs.uk/-services/hospitals/about-nhs-hospital-services/#choice

See above. Speak to Pals.

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/can-i-choose-where-to-receive-treatment/

Useful info in link above

It’s bollocks. I’m 90% sure you are able to choose which hospital you receive your care.
Please write to PALS

Makes even less sense then. Especially as I am already under the service.

Perhaps they do it just to cause so much frustration people give up and they save money that way.

If the little hospital has merged with the larger one, you’ll probably be treated by the same staff but in a different location. Usually when hospitals merge they share staff.

I'm confused. If you're still having ongoing follow up/treatment with a department, then you shouldn't need to be referred up by your GP at all. Because you're already under them.

If you're already under followup then yiu shouldn't need to be referred by your GP, should be a case of contacting your team to have your follow up with expedited.

If you've had previous treatment and been discharged, then you'd need a new referral, in which case the waiting lists start again from the beginning...

But you're right, in that you sloths be able to choose which provider you're referred to. An other issue may be if two trusts have amalgamated, they may both be technically the same provider.

@PostMenPatWithACat

Makes even less sense then. Especially as I am already under the service.

Perhaps they do it just to cause so much frustration people give up and they save money that way.

More like they are oversubscribed. Too many folks being seen or on the wait list so they need to cull.

Covid has meant that trusts have had to move departments, staff and patients. My department has lost our entire gynae specialty because it needs the theatre for covid icu. Gynae is now in a smaller hospital 20 miles away. Staff had been moved out with their contracted areas and posts to try and keep the waiting
Lists going. This is all completely down to covid and keeping every patient as safe as we can. We are doing the best we can, not because we're hoping it will piss people off and make them not bother

I don't understand it all. Have followed the advice given. The two hospitals are still operating two units. The one I am under has a fab reputation. The local hospital has a dire reputation for the same service.

Perhaps I shoukd just have rung the consultant's office myself but that wasn't what I was told to do.

This all arises from hospital B failing to diagnose an issue back in August. Me thinking a bone wasn't broken, suffering acute pain and having to get to the bottom of it. Not without difficulty. In the circumstances I'd expect the referral to be pretty instant as the NHS has created the delay. Rather I am being caused even more frustration and upset.

Just feel like giving up. It is all so hard. I haven't been discharged from the first hospital and am due my next appointment in November!

Unfortunately the referrals system has been computerised and it really is the computer that says no. It will automatically reject certain referrals outside of area by postcode. There is no way round it.
You may be better to phone your consultants secretary who can possibly do a continuation appointment linking it to your ongoing treatment rather than it being treated as a new referral.

Ring you existing consultants secretary, explain and ask to be seen

So why doesn't the GP know that and give advice accordingly. Honestly this has caused so much unnecessary stress and hassle.

Oh and I did try the department and left messages and was assured someone would call me back but no.

@PostMenPatWithACat

So why doesn't the GP know that and give advice accordingly. Honestly this has caused so much unnecessary stress and hassle.

Because in my experience - 20+ years in NHS comms - GPs don’t read their sodding emails, letters or messages sent by carrier pigeon. You could tattoo something on their forehead and they’d swear they’d never seen it.

@Angrymum22 if that's the case why do none of the people who work in the system the problem and be able to explain it?

Ring your Consultant's secretary, they may agree to see you.

Welcome to the nhs. I live in the border of 2 different trusts and it's a nightmare if care crosses between them. Staff hands are tied as u get told specially not to facilitate the other trusts.

Ring your consultant

Because even the users find it complicated to use. The old snail Mail gave much more freedom. On the computer system it gives all the options but does warn that referrals may be rejected. It doesn’t have an option for patients who are already in the system. Frequently consultants ask us to re refer patients if symptoms change but the system has no option to do this effectively. It is infuriating to use, but like most systems it has been designed by IT geeks not health care professionals.
We have had to try and get round it by trial and error.
So much time is wasted by referring to a local consultant only for them to direct the patient on to a more specialist centre. If you haven’t ticked all the right boxes this entails the patient having to start from scratch.
You can’t bypass it because of the way the financing works unfortunately.
The system was implemented very quickly with very few instructions.

Thank you @Angrymum22.
Your post has made me very pleased that I wrote to my GP and the Trust CEO last night. My emails were very measured but both asked how sending me to a different unit when I was already being treated by Unit A was a justifiable use of scarce resources. Particularly when this has arisen due to the failure of the NHS to diagnose at Unit B and the delay so far arises from NHS incompetence.

It is saddening that there is no thought for the value of patient time in all this. I can quite see a scenario where I go to Unit B and the Dr I see says "oh so you are already a patient at Unit A and have been treated by them since 2016. They've got all your notes and results so actually you need to go back to them". That's surely a waste of a scarce resource as well.

Not sure why you need re-referring if you are already under their care? Do you mean that you need them to see you sooner than planned? If so I would phone the consultant’s secretary on Monday to see if your next appointment can be brought forward.

@darkstar4855 - yes I'll do that but it doesn't alter the fact that's perhaps what my GP should have advised rather than sending me down this rabbit hole. It feels as though there is zero respect for the patient or their time.