Surgery cancelled again. WIBU to turn up to the hospital regardless?

[Wndof]

I've been waiting over a year for life saving surgery. I was finally given a date for 31st August then they changed the date twice, switching my appointment with somebody else and then telling me they'd made a mistake with dates. Finally, 14th September (so tomorrow) was confirmed and I've undergone all of the pre operative tests and assessments, made arrangements for the children, XP secured the time off work.. only for them to text me just now and say the surgery has been cancelled due to a bed issue.

I called the admissions coordinator who has been absolutely terrible throughout and told him that I plan on turning up tomorrow morning and won't be leaving.

I read on here thats what somebody's father did in the same situation and he got his operation.

WIBU to give it a go?

Sorry if I seem dramatic, I just cannot endure this utter shit any longer 😭

ITU beds are a finite resource, if they don’t have a bed, they don’t have a bed. If we are full and there is an emergency that needs admission hard decisions have to be made - can someone be stepped down to a ward, moved to a neighbouring ITU, do we cancel an elective surgery? We make space, we do all we can.

But that pushes everything and makes it less safe and we do it for emergencies. Elective surgery is a whole different ball game and far better to cancel when no bed is available for everyone’s safety.

The point was which Im sure OP will understand unlike you, it's shit when life saving surgery is not happening because of cancellations, but whatever.

how hard for you. I hope you get your op soon. Do something to cherish yourself this evening.

@thing47

you don't typically require an ITU bed after a hysterectomy, though

Fair point.

Someone I know was had set off on the long journey from a rural area to donate an organ when they were contacted by the hospital to say they might not have a bed and to wait until they knew definitely.

The recipient was already there and they had set off so told the hospital they had set off with no other accommodation for the night and would come to the hospital anyway.

In the evening they managed to find a bed and proceed with the transplant.

So I'm your case OP, I think I would go to the reception area for the ward and try to get onto to the ward, just in case.

As pps have said,it's perfectly possible to be persistent and polite.

When I was waiting and waiting to get treatment started after being diagnosed with cancer several years ago I asked a GP friend if it would be acceptable to tell the consultant, if need be, that I would just wait in the reception area till they were able to give me a date for the start of treatment. She reckoned it was. The consultant told me it would be several weeks but not to worry. And when I looked crestfallen and said how frustrating it was to have gone to my GP seven months previously with symptoms she rang the chemo ward and arranged for me to start chemo the following week. I wonder if she thought, incorrectly that I would make a complaint.
I know your situation is different OP though. I just wanted to let you know my thoughts on your situation.

I’m so sorry this is happening. I feel this is exactly the sort of example of how rubbish NHS has become due to government underfunding and mismanagement and is replicated across all our public services. Historically the UK was a leading country in its public services now it’s a shambles. Labour and Tory seem equally as useless at tackling this and no politicians have the guts to suggest the real change we need if we want to restore quality services ; much higher taxes

I’m sorry this has happened and I hope it gets rescheduled as soon as possible.
It’s awful and it’s because there just aren’t enough beds to deal with an increasing and ever more complex patient population. Unfortunately going in will not magic an ITU bed out of nowhere and even if a bed did come up during the day the theatre time will Have been reallocated.
It’s not the consultants fault and they will have little sway over it, but will be aware of your need to prioritise you for a new date. Complaining to PALS is always worth doing but will not expedite anything.
Longer term the issue is there needs to be a massive expansion in community social care to get people out of hospital, more staff and more beds. At the moment 30% of the medical patients on my ward are medically stable to leave but can’t due to social care.

There are now a few private hospitals offering ICU care.

I’m sorry you’re going through this OP.

However I am 99% certain there is no point in you going. Where do you plan to go? Who do you plan to speak to? The surgeon operating or the anaesthetist anaesthetising or the nurses who would have nursed you etc almost certainly won’t be there available to speak to you - they may well be operating on a different patient etc. They quite possibly may not even know who’s on the list yet. The bed managers won’t be on the shop floor. Good luck trying to speak to them. Really it’s a political issue isn’t it? there just isn’t the funding nor the staffing.

bear in mind you will need to be starved for theatre so how long would you keep this up? Who is it that you actually want to speak to? Because you almost certainly won’t get through to them. What you’d do instead is speak to someone who either has no idea about you and/or pull someone away from providing the care they would have for another patient had you not interrupted.

i feel for you and understand you’re scared. This isn’t a safe or sustainable system.

All of the people involved won’t be in the same area OP so it’s not like you can go and stare them all down and they will just let you in. As others have said, the consultant will be in the wards or the theatre, the co-ordinator will be in an office somewhere and the bed manager will be somewhere else entirely and I sincerely doubt your friends dad really did just stand there until they took him.

In my experience the person most likely to get you a new date asap is the surgeon's secretary. I would phone them tomorrow and beg and plead for their help.

I'm really sorry OP, you must be terrified.

Many moons ago, I worked for the NHS, we always used to say "if we remember their name, it's not a good thing". We wouldn't prioritise someone because they turned up and hung around. We'd prioritise the priorities.

The OP's situation is shit. I ended up staying over in hospital last year because the lady in the bed next to me had a reaction and they had to deal with that, they then couldn't discharge me because the right staff weren't available. At least two people's operations were cancelled the following day due to this, more likely three or four. It's incredibly frustrating and must be heartbreaking when it's such an important operation.

I worked in theatre and recovery and honestly just wanted to say staff do care. Just today we had all the surgeons arguing their case for the itu beds and there was only 1 space available and 7 patients booked for today. Honestly none of us want to cancel anyone, we completely understand the consequences on patients however if you need an itu bed we can't just go ahead. I really do understand your frustrations though.

Im so sorry to read this OP, what a stressful situation!

Just explain to the surgeons secretary how desperate you're feeling. This is what I did when my op was cancelled in Dec because the surgeon had covid. I said I'd be happy to go at short notice if another patient needed to drop out etc.

But I was gutted the op was cancelled, I cried at work in front of my manager, so I understand how upsetting it is, especially if you're at risk whilst still waiting.

I would absolutely go. If you were someone needing a non life saving surgery then I’d say the same as many others have, not to bother. But I can only imagine your absolute desperation to have this surgery.
Think of it this way- if something has changed so quickly that someone else needs your bed, then it could also change quickly the other way around and your bed could become available again.
I would also ring the consultant’s/ surgeon’s PA whilst you’re at the hospital to explain what’s happened.

I had a cancer surgery cancelled once on the day and I was in hospital/gown/seen surgeon and anaesthetist because recovery was full. It was awful as I'd also had to isolate for COVID too. I was angry and upset and cried a lot. Don't really have any advice but feel your pain. It's awful!Next time i was scheduled I was put first on the list and was out of theatre by 9:30am.

There is NO WAY the NHS OR the Government should whisper in journalists ears or put the idea in the publics heads that the public should be charged for missed appointments until its reciprocated meaning any lost wages/ money spent on hotels/childcare etc etc is reimbursed in these situations.

Right I've sent off a lengthy email to;

Consultants PA
PALS
My MP (brilliant woman who has helped me with another issue in the past)
The CEO of Kings College hospital where I'm at
The admissions coordinator

Hopefully it gets things moving.

Sorry to hear this OP, I work in the NHS and its ludicrous, heartbreaking and rage inducing how many operations have to be cancelled due to a lack of beds (read: staff mainly). Sadly no, turning up won't achieve anything but it's good you've written to escalate this, it's unacceptable and sadly all too common. I really hope you get a revised date too, it's stressful enough having to live with that and prepare for surgery to keep having it cancelled. I have no doubt your surgical team will be angry and fighting your corner too, it's frustrating for them to not be able to do their job because a lack of recovery beds.

But that scenario is exactly why your surgery has been cancelled - a n emergency will always be prioritised over elective work I'm afraid.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I would be so upset and anxious. All the planning involved and then the op is cancelled. This country is so backwards. "Great" Britain 2023, and we can't provide what is needed. I remember back in the yearly 2000s as a student nurse, a patient turning up to the ward at 7 in the morning to be told their op was cancelled. The poor patient was so upset, and I was shocked that things like this happened. Not anymore. My fil has recently been abroad for hip surgery. The difference in care there to here is massive. He received outstanding care, with 10 days of post op physio, a nurse on every hotel floor for those days. When I visit patients after surgery here, they're lucky if they've been sent home with an excerice sheet.

If it's an ICU bed you need and they don't have one nothing you do will change the situation.
I am an ex ICU nurse, beds are literally fought over by consultants as they become available.
You can turn up but please do not moan to frontline staff Ie nurses and doctors. It is not their fault and you will just make an already stressful job worse. That will result in more leaving and guess what even less beds.
Make your way to the manager IE those in suits to air your grievance. Or just find the PALs office.

This is so true. Every day surgeons fight for their patients to get critical care beds post op - it's absolutely awful and the decisions that have to be made are brutal. It just comes down to bed availability.

Well done @Wndof

That sounds like a far better and more constant use of your time. I really hope that you can get your procedure done soon.