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 😭

Brilliant - well done. They can't ignore that - PALS can't ignore complaints and no department wants a complaint through PALS because it's then official and logged and needs to be explained/sorted.

I really hope they guarantee your date really soon OP. It's not fair, I know it's the system and we all have to deal with it, but that doesn't mean you just have to keep sucking it up. That's too much for anyone.

All the very best for the surgery and your recovery when it happens hopefully soon

I’m sorry your surgery has been cancelled and I hope they manage to fit you in again soon. An emergency has probably come in that needed an ICU bed or a patient who was expected to be moved from the bed is taking longer than expected to be moved to a general ward. Personally I think turning up at the ward will probably stress you out even more than you are now, which is the last thing you need at the moment. Take care and look after yourself.

Could you turn up to A and E with a headache and ask for a scan, sounds terrible but might get you seen/surgery sooner? I've heard other people moving up waiting lists after attending a and e with worsening symptoms

Me having a headache wouldn't be of much concern to them unfortunately. I have a diagnosis of chronic migraine and get migraines 4-5 days per week. That's how the aneurysm was discovered.

Believe it or not I was waiting 4 years for an MRI. My GP just kept chucking tablets at me and i was misdiagnosed with a dental issue which was the focus for the duration. I was only referred to neurology because they didn't know what else to do with me. It's a miracle I made it this far to be honest.

Great post and so true. It makes me weep actually, how this country's NHS has gone so badly to shit. 😟

Hope you email gets a result @Wndof and you get your surgery really soon.

Hypothetically, if I were to turn up there tomorrow where would be best to go to?

The admissions coordinator is useless. I went to see him last time they did this. He doesn't know his arse from his elbow and has messed me around endlessly.

I actually think I will end up dead at this rate. I might aswell pitch up a sleeping bag outside so atleast I'm in the vicinity when the bloody thing goes bang.

Sorry. I really needed to vent this evening. I can't believe how much things have gone shit.

Jesus christ im so sorry that they have been so utterly shit and that this is happening to you. And im sorry that some people on here are gobshites. Definitely go in, as you say, harder to fob off face to face

Well done indeed, @Wndof

The situation is absolute shit snd I am so sorry. I remember all too well when DH needed life saving surgery a few years ago, he was booked for 8 am in theatre and his nurse explained that he could be cancelled up to the moment he left the ward where he’d spent the night. She rang me as the doors swung closed and I will never forget the relief.

I also think following up with your neurosurgeon at the Wellington is an excellent idea. If the Wellington itself is not suitable ask him for further ideas. People do want to help. I very much hope you will get true good news soon.

You do whatever feels right for you tomorrow. Things can change. Try to sleep tonight

Email/phone the chief exec, the medical director, your local newspaper, your MP. Turning up tomorrow will do fuck all other than give already overloaded staff another problem to fix. It’s not their fault there are no beds and they aren’t the people that can fix it.

What I don't understand @Wndof is why, if your condition is potentially life threatening, they don't admit you pending the essential surgery so that if the worst were to come to the worst, you are in hospital and emergency facilities are at hand.

I hope you have support in rl. If not I'd be tempted to contact ss on the basis that they organise emergency childcare in the event that you are called in at short notice.

Only a year or two ago every concern in relation to the NHS on here was met with multiple posts about how we should be grateful and the NHS was second to none, particularly from HCPs. Gratefulness and and an acceptance of sub-optimal standards has got us in this mess far more than the colour of the present government. Wales anybody?

How about emailing other trusts and cc'ing your consultant in? Maybe they might have a slot and you could go there. It might mean a 5 hour commute?

It's the consultants cancelling it. Theres daily bed meetings and if icu has no admitting capacity as full with existing patients there isnt space for elective cases so you'll be cancelled. Believe me the surgeons and anaesthetists want to get you done as much as you do but their hard are tied

When I did my cardiac placement 2y ago (all pts need icu beds after), we had 1 of our 2 daily cases cancelled pretty much every day. We were stuck sat in the coffee room waiting for someone to be safe to step down to a non icu bed to make space to get us the green light to proceed with our patient. If an existing patient gets complications and can't step down, or main icu is full and has to spill into cardiac icu our patient gets cancelled. Its crap. I'm sorry

I was in for day surgery last month and after getting everything organised I was told that I may get cancelled. Luckily I wasn't and went down just after 4pm.

But 2 men in the bed beside me were in for the same op but different consultant/surgeon and they were told they may not be taken. One of them was in for the 2nd time and he was self employed so losing money the whole time and when I was on the recovery ward the nurse told me that they hadn't been taken and would still be waiting another few weeks.

I know its a different scenario but it shows its happening all over. 2 other women were there for 2nd/3rd time as well.

Have you got enough money to hop across the Channel and have it done privately there - and then send the NHS the bill afterwards asking them to refund you? Or is that a "no chance - havent got the money" or "no chance - x number of people have tried to deal with these problems in Britain that way and none of them ever got given their money back"?

I don't think they'd have the beds to facilitate keeping me in as an inpatient either unfortunately, Roses.

Thank you all very much for the kind words and suggestions. It's helping to calm me down slightly.

In my email to the CEO, PALS etc I have said that I would be prepared to travel anywhere at any time if the surgery has to be asigned to another hospital.

I'm at Kings College hospital at the moment (not right now, but In general)

Saying that - because my mother got cancelled on a hip replacement operation - and then the NHS was having a spell of putting some of the people waiting for that into private hospitals and paying the private hospital fees. I still was the one paying for her physiotherapy afterwards! - as nobody even told her it was necessary and I knew private patients were getting it - and so it must be I figured.

They admit them and the icu will phone round all the icus in the country begging somewhere for a spare bed. Then the "least sick" icu patients will be transported by an anaesthetist/ambulance to the other icu with beds... same as in covid we had pts potentially 100s of miles from home

But it is bad management (from someone) to book so many patients when there are no resources. Not doctors' fault, and emergencies happen, but the amount of cancellations = someone out there does not care. Most likely the government but also an incredibly high number of overpaid managers.

I don't have the funds to have the procedure done privately unfortunately.

I have 1.5k in my savings at this moment in time. That would get me a few sit down appointments with a neurosurgeon, at best.

I paid £300 (which I borrowed) to see my neurosurgeon privately earlier in the year as the NHS was leaving me in limbo with a diagnosis given to me over the phone, 2 months after I had an MRI and assumed everything was fine as I'd heard nothing back.

He transferred me to his NHS caseload, then arranged for me to see the interventional radiologist as we decided on coil embolization instead of open surgery.

They are both fantastic doctors and I have no complaints about them at all.

I’m sorry OP this is utterly shit.

I don’t think you’ll get your operation if you just turn up but I think you’re right to pick up a polite fuss. From my experience having a minor op last year it’s those that shout the loudest that get dealt with first. It’s crap that it had to be this way but it’s true.

if they don’t have the beds they don’t have the bed but I would hope you’re put on some kind of priority list for the next possible opportunity.

I’m not gonna say YABU as that seems harsh because they’ve messed you about so bloody much and it’s not right. But there’s probably no point doing that, I doubt it would work. Apart from making a complaint and/or contacting pals I don’t know what to suggest but hope you get your important operation soon.

Going in might work if you were just requiring a ward bed.

Unfortunately ICU bed capacity is more multifactorial so harder to predict availability for. I don’t think it’s a single persons fault. It’s mainly just reflective of the lack of ICU bed and nurses in the UK currently.

Hopefully this will be your last cancellation, phoning up tomorrow would probably be a more productive use of your time.