Emergency child surgery cancelled because of the doctor strike

[Nindaelita]

Yes... just had the phone call yesterday. My daughter's emergency eye surgery was just cancelled, she has glaucoma and uveitis which medication isn't touching it at all so she can lose her eye sight.

What you make of this? I really feel helpless and the only thing the hospital told me was they can only reschedule it for in a few weeks time. What if she doesn't have a few weeks time anymore?

I understand why these strikes are happening and I support them as does many people. Everyone should have good work conditions and a pay salary accordingly. But until you have a member of your family on the line for emergency treatment and you feel like you being let down by them happening you won't understand the despair some people go tro...Meanwhile let critical patients on a limbo.

Judge me all you want but my child and hundred others are being put in a dangerous situation.
And I don't think I'm being AIBU..

You need to go and stand outside no 10 and give interviews to every news channel

Yanbu to be worried however critical/emergency surgeries are cancelled every single day. I had emergency surgery cancelled a number of times over the course of 2 weeks due to theatres being unavailable. I registered a complaint with PALS who did nothing so I took it to my local MP and got an apology off the chief exec. Not sure what, if any, effects that had on the service as a whole but as I suffered no real Ill effects (aside from psychological damage) not a lot further could be done

Keep complaining. Keep on at the MP. Find out the chief execs name and email address and get onto them. I hope your child gets their operation quickly.

No the people that refuse to look after their health and abuse the NHS broke it

My DDs next operation has been postponed as well. It’s a blow.

However, having seen how more and more stretched and underfunded hospitals have been and how much more run ragged the doctors and nurses have been over the last few years (this will be Op #20) I wholeheartedly support the strike.

Children like yours and mine are being impacted every single day by the conditions in hospital, it’s just much more subtle usually because of the work the staff put in.

The government should have sorted it out before it got to this stage

Very urgent patients are still being done in my trust, I believe.

*Call and speak to you consultant secretary or send an email to your consultant. You need to confirm they are re aware of this in case they have not had direct over site of who is being cancelled

Exactly this. That will hopefully make sure at least that she is prioritised for rebooking according to her consultant's knowledge of the urgency.*

Exactly this - the Consultant may not be aware - worth trying - I feel for you - I'm awaiting urgent surgery and was worried that it may get cxd

Yes and write to your MP asking why they have put your child at risk like this

Write to your MP or the Health Secretary and direct your anger at them, pointing out how much it will cost the state if your child goes blind due to their failure to address the problems with the NHS.

I really hope your DC gets their surgery soon and that it is successful OP

What a crock of absolute shit.

OP, I fully get how desperate you must be feeling, to think your DD could lose her sight because of this. It’s outrageous.

Definitely phone the consultant’s secretary first thing Monday and ask for it to be prioritised for an early new slot. And keep pressure up - go straight to PALS if no immediate joy and your MP.

Like pp recommended with standing outside No10, publicity could be your friend here. Especially if your MP is a Tory. You could involve your local newspaper/radio etc in your dealings with them.

Yes Consultants are having to cancel operations/procedures/clinics to cover the wards and A&E. Urgent surgeries will be booked in again very quickly. Sorry OP I know it’s worrying, and I would be upset too. But this action is absolutely necessary. The Government should hang their bloody heads in shame! Oh I forgot they have no shame 😡

This.

It is the government's fault

I’m so sorry OP, for you and your daughter and everyone else who’ll be affected. Of course YANBU to be angry, frustrated, worried, upset, whatever the cause of the delay 💐

I'm sorry about you chil, all the people waiting for critical operations.

However, what plan can you think of that would make the strike effective AND yet still do everything as us usual??

Yanbu I'm sorry op that you and your daughter are having to deal with this its not fair on either of you

I’m so sorry this is happening to you OP. I can’t imagine how scared and worried you must be feeling.

I support doctors and think they deserve decent pay and working conditions, and I think this government is a crock of shit, I don’t think a child’s eyesight should be a bargaining chip in a pay dispute. Of course it’s the government’s fault - but these strikes aren’t hurting the government. If anything they’re playing into the government’s hands. The Tories want the tide of public opinion to turn against doctors and against the NHS as a whole.

I would be really frustrated in that situation absolutely I would be wanting the surgery over and done with so can start looking to recovery.

In the nicest possible way though a vitrectomy in this circumstance would not be regarded as a critical or even emergency situation, but more urgent - something that needs to occur but at the moment it can wait - this is not to minimise would could happen from this condition, urgent conditions can often be life-threatening for example, just not immediately - like cancer.

Part of the reason for the strikes is that due to poor working conditions relative to the rest of the western world within our health service; many Doctors whom are extremely employable around the world are leaving - or transferring to other fields/privatised services. So waiting lists are getting longer and longer as staff numbers fall. This is seeing avoidable deaths increasing, people being unable to work or enjoy life whilst waiting for surgery/tests... All the while privatisation is creeping in.

If things are left to carry on as they are it's very likely that people such as your daughter will only be treated if their parents have the right insurance and can afford to pay, if not then she'll be left to get on without the treatment. It's great for the very wealthy as they get the preferential treatment, but everyone else is either saddled with crippling debt, or goes without.

I'm so sorry for what you're going through.

As everyone is saying, the blame is with the Tories, and every single person who voted for them.

I sympathise OP. I work in Ophthalmology Admissions and had to make about 70 phone calls cancelling surgeries for Monday Tuesday and Wednesday.

Not sure if it reassures you but our trust are still going ahead with emergency and sight risk surgeries- so they wouldn't leave your DD if they thought it would have a detrimental affect on her. Not that it changes anything as I think all those patients cancelled is awful.

Hopefully your DD gets in quickly as a priority for being cancelled

The issue is parents mistaking education for childcare.

I'm so sorry, OP; that really is shit. YANBU and I don't judge you at all.

My DS's radiotherapy was delayed because of the nurse's strike and he narrowly escaped further delays to treatment when a further strike was cancelled at the last minute.

I don't know what the answer is. I am very torn, as I believe in the right to strike, but I also think critical patient care needs to be maintained. Yet when all else has failed, I can understand why strikers eventually come to a complete stop...like I said, I don't have an answer...

I do hope your daughter gets her surgery as soon as possible and is ok.

How could you possibly think that anything but immediately life-saving surgery could safely go ahead?

I'm so sorry OP. I still support the strikes and it is gracious of you to do so. Is there anywhere you could get the money for private? loan?

Oh I am so sorry for allowing myself to think that important paediatric surgeries wouldn't be delayed when there's evidence that delaying them could have negative impact.

Junior doctors do pretty much all the work around an operation, other than the actual cutting. It was never going to be safe for much surgery to go ahead, and with the NHS in the state that it's in, pretty much everything is urgent now because the routine stuff has all been cancelled so many times that it has become urgent.