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..

Oh you're a covid denier. Never mind.

I am most certainly not a covid denier. I do believe that the statistics were not conveyed with honesty.

Bearing in mind the manner in which you make assumptions I imagine you do well in the NHS.

Lockdown came a week or two after the NHS was told by the government to suspend all non-essential activity. Funny how people like you always forget that. And you're less than intelligent if you think allowing more people to catch covid would have helped with NHS backlogs.

I’d love to know who are all these NHS staff you know who did less during Covid. All the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists I know worked horrendous hours, often away from their specialty, with limited PPE and staffing levels at a dangerous level.

I would expect you would suggest the same for the children losing days of education for the teachers strikes?

I can tell you for a fact that our local.MH Trust locked down. My dd could no longer see her ADHD clinician F2F because all the MH clinicians were working from home for their safety. A timed F2F appointment moved to a telephone call between 9am and 5pm. The patients had to provide their own weight (not great when a young person has withheld food) and their own BP. It was suggested they could have their BP taken at the pharmacy.

I found it rather odd that it was too dangerous for an MH nurse to see a patient F2F but not too dangerous for the patient to see a pharmacist F2F.

HVs weren't visiting, school nurses weren't working, my step's cataract surgery was cancelled then the bar was lifted. He asked if there was a wait privately. Evidently not. Same consultant, same theatre, etc, just £5k on the nose. Our GP didn't see patients F2F from March 20 until about March 21.

Staff were working but f2f was limited where possible. Staff from non essential (to life) were moved onto Covid wards. Some of the Admin staff had the job of setting up FaceTime calls with families to say goodbye as their relatives were dying of Covid. GP’s continued to do f2f appointments throughout lockdown but these were limited due to the additional cleaning required between patients and to try and prevent the doctors themselves getting Covid and causing more staff shortages - staff becoming too ill to work was a significant problem.

PALs, your local MP and take her to A and E - every day if you have to.

She’s a child at risk of blindness - be the squeaky wheel
💐

DD's MH nurse wasn't moved to a covid ward. He and the admin team were locked down. They couldn't even put their phones on divert.

I found it very strange that if you worked in Sainsburys people could carry on working. If people worked in parts of the NHS they worked from home.

My hospital consultant is eye rolling because it takes forever to get anything done because the secretaries are STILL working from home - three weeks ago at any rate.

That's so sad for you and your daughter. I think your anger should be directed at the government for their underfunding of the health service. Could you write your MP? Junior doctors are terribly paid for an incredibly difficult and stressful job. We simply won't have enough doctors if they are paid so terribly. They can move abroad for better pay and conditions.

I don't judge you OP. I can understand your pain amd frustration. It kind of goes against the supposed morals and values of these medical professionals

Does it lie squarely with them though

A&E every day is a waste of resources, waste of
time and immensely selfish.

OP, you would be best contacting her consultant directly as he will prioritise according to clinical need. It may well be the person you spoke to gave a standard reply but that medically, she will be prioritised. Hopefully you can do that first thing tomorrow. Best wishes to her.

The NHS is already operating below safe staffing requirements - do you think this should continue? Any suggestions on how increase staffing levels?

Absolutely disgusting. I’m really sorry OP.

I'm so sorry, OP. This is awful. I think any parent in your situation would be really anxious and unhappy about this. I really hope that you can get a new date very soon.

I support the doctors and the nurses in their strike, but with a very heavy heart. I do think lives will be lost as a result of it, and there may be other serious consequences for patients such as your daughter. I believe that the NHS will strive to keep the impact on patients to a minimum, but of course, there will be an impact and in some cases, it may be a very serious one.

The problem is, if the doctors and nurses don't strike, I think the impact on patients will potentially be much worse, and therein lies the problem. The working conditions are not sustainable and health care professionals are walking away from their jobs. 25% of hospitals have started running their own foodbanks for staff. We simply won't have an NHS left if something isn't done to address the situation.

I think the doctors and nurses who are striking are doing so with very heavy hearts. I don't think that they take this action lightly, and they, more than most, understand the potential consequences for their patients. But they are desperate and they have no choice. The government isn't listening and it seems that this is the only way of making their voices heard.

I think you have every right to be upset and angry in this situation, OP. I just hope that you will feel able to direct your anger at the government rather than at the health care professionals who have been forced into this action.

I wish your dd all the very best.

Yes it does. They have eroded the NHS to breaking point and have for too long been relying on staff holding it together in terrible condition for inadequate pay. This is an absolute last resort, staff can't strike against general conditions but they can for pay, which should be restored. People are already dying from staff shortages and will continue to in larger numbers unless its addressed. SB has had plenty of time to speak with the BMA but he hasn't, he emailed Friday evening which is pathetic.

Sure junior doctors could continue to put up with crap conditions, low pay (in relation to their qualifications and level of responsibility) in a crumbling system, but why should they?

Not sure of your inference, but yes, I certainly would. Education is severely underfunded.

Rishi is local to me. 😆

That might be the plan, but they may strike again and again and it will all mount up.

Steve Barclay refused to come to the table on Friday, then on Friday evening asks them to come to him and avoid strikes. The government are at fault here

@Dente government is absolutely to blame. Our consultants bought our junior doctors on the picket line Pizza as a sign of support.