. . . to think this letter from the NHS is depressing, upsetting, frustrating . . .

[RedPandaFluff]

Had a routine eye test at a high street optician and the retina scan (which I paid extra for on a "why not?" basis) showed that the layers of my macula are separating, with what could be fluid - possible macular oedema. The optician gave me a letter for my GP asking for an urgent referral to the eye hospital as this needs investigating. The GP made the referral, and I got this letter (pic) back. It's been a month and still nothing - the optician said she would really want me to be seen within a couple of weeks.

It just makes me incredibly sad and depressed. This is an urgent referral, but it isn't life-threatening (assuming it's just fluid) but it frightens me to think of all the people that aren't receiving treatment for what could be serious issues, made worse by urgent referrals no longer being treated as such, and we're still blaming covid.

I feel a bit overwhelmed by how bad things have become.

@RosesAndHellebores what do you mean by 'we locked down for this lot'? Are you talking about us NHS staff? If so, that's very hurtful. You did not lock down for us, you locked down so that we could continue to keep treating 'you lot'. We also locked down, and we worked even crazier hours than normal, and we got sick and stressed and kept going because we had to. It's not out fault the government has run the NHS into the ground. We are understaffed and we are all doing overtime. Do you suppose appointments are being delayed because we are twiddling our thumbs? A lot of the time I don't get to eat or drink on my 12 hour shifts.

Oh my goodness this thread makes for sad and worrying reading.

I agree that the Australian Medicare system seems better - although my experience of it is around fifteen years ago when I lived there for a year in my twenties; I remember paying a few dollars for a GP appointment and a few more for a scan, but it wasn't much at all and I was seen pretty much straight away. I don't know what it's like now though.

When I last went to the optician they found an issue at the back of my eye.

My ‘urgent’ referral took about 5-6 months. Then when I went to the eye clinic they couldn’t do one of the tests due to a lack of staff , thankfully they made another appointment for later that week. The issue I had had was no longer visible so they are now no concerns but waiting for so long was frustrating when the optician felt it was urgent.

@Whatafielddayfortheheat how many NHS staff are facing redundancy? I have worked 12 hours days since 16.3.20 to keep the show on the road. It may not stay on the road.

If the NHS is to be better funded it needs to become more service driven and more accountable and start to own its mistakes.

I've just checked my payslip £110 down due to the hike in NI. Add that to the existing tax and NI already contributed and the £180 to PPP every month because the NHS isn't fit for purpose.

We desperately need a continental system of healthcare.

Please make a nuisance of yourself with this.

i had a similar referral in Dec 2020-unfortunately myretina detached a little while later and I had to present to the eye hospital as an emergency. It’s been a long road and is still not sorted, all this time later.

I had a call last week from the hospital I was referred to, advising that I had been referred and they were working through them, and asking if I still wanted the appointment! No hint of an explanation or apology as to why it’s taken so long, almost like it was completely normal to wait 16 months.

if I had been seen when originally required, it could have prevented the trauma of 4 surgeries and countless out patient appointments, with the stress that I still may not have great vision. I will have cost the NHS a fortune on what could’ve been more easily treated/prevented

Are you anywhere near London OP?

Similar thing happened to my husband, he heard nothing re his 'urgent' referral after 3 weeks so he took himself to Moorfields Eye hospital in London and was seen and sorted within a few hours.
He'd already had a detached retina repaired on the same eye a few months before, so he wasn't prepared to take the risk and wait.

Google nhs eye a&e go to one near you. They will look at your eye on the spot

No they won’t. There’s one near me. You have to phone in the morning, then they triage you..

I noticed some eye issues about two weeks ago. I emailed my GP Friday, they texted me today and gave me the national eye triage system phone number, I spoke to them today, an optometrist called me back, then about an hour later the optician called me with an urgent appointment on Thursday (should be within 48 hours but it was already about four pm and they didn't have a quicker appointment).

Pretty great response I think.

OP, if you DM me I'll give you the triage phone number to try. Don't say how you got it!