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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

NHS waiting times

32 replies

ORYX99 · 13/10/2023 00:02

Just want to preface that this is not a thread to moan about the NHS. I know why wait times are so long and do not blame the hospital for this.

My child (5) was referred to paediatrics for sleep apnoea 27 weeks ago. His sleep is awful and so is mine. He has tonsils so large they nearly touch. He gasps for air at night and is tired all the time. No idea if his adenoids are enlarged also. GP said she could tell me it was sleep apnoea based just on the videos I had taken.

Has anyone waited this long or longer to be seen in paediatrics? Could it really be much more waiting? I had a letter the other day asking if we still needed treatment and saying that there may be a significant wait for an appointment.

I'm so tired 😭 posting this after he's woken up again gasping for air and choking on nothing.

OP posts:
Original poster
ORYX99 · 13/10/2023 06:42

Bump

OP posts:
overand · 13/10/2023 06:45

Not paediatrics, but my brother in law waited a year to be seen for sleep apnea.

Original poster
ORYX99 · 13/10/2023 06:55

overand · 13/10/2023 06:45

Not paediatrics, but my brother in law waited a year to be seen for sleep apnea.

It is really difficult at the moment as he is becoming severely sleep deprived. Even his school has commented and he has fallen asleep on his table a number of times. This is despite technically sleeping from 7pm-6:30 am. A bit worried about him. Thankfully school are supportive.

OP posts:
overand · 13/10/2023 06:56

Maybe go back to the GP and ask if they can help to escalate the referral?

assignedferretatbirth · 13/10/2023 07:11

The NHS is on its knees. It's awful. This is happening all over the country.

My family member died of a preventable illness last year after waiting 7 months for investigations to begin, and kept being told that they couldn't be put on a particular waiting list as there were "no appointments available".

It's very scary to be ill in the uk these days.

pinkiepoodle · 13/10/2023 07:15

Ring the secretary and ask if they have a short notice cancellation list. My DD was waiting 18m for an appointment, when I phoned to ask where she was on the list they told me it was likely to be 3 years - but offered to put her on the cancellation list and we got an appointment days later.

emz1990 · 13/10/2023 07:18

Not paediatric but I'm waiting for an ENT op and had a pre op last year, had to have another one this week and the nurse said I've been waiting 63 weeks for this op so far 🤦🏼‍♀️

need2findwork · 13/10/2023 07:21

DD had to wait 90 weeks to see ENT. Issue was not as serious as yours though. I would go back to GP. they can expedite or conduct PALS. I wouldn't just sit around waiting.

zeibesaffron · 13/10/2023 07:37

ADHD waiting time for my DD is 2 years - she will be 18 by the time she gets to be seen and will be technically too old for the service 😔

TigerRag · 13/10/2023 08:11

Oh I'd love a 27 week wait. I was referred for something in February 2022 and was asked this week if I still wanted to be seen.

Forgotmylogindetails · 13/10/2023 08:18

@ORYX99 its horrible waiting isn’t it ? i had it with my daughter same thing turned out she needed her tonsils out.

If you feel she is in genuine danger of choking or something really serious go back to your GP and ask them to escalate it to an urgent referral.

one of my other ones has just been seen in orthopaedics in 3 weeks. I guess it just depends on the area and the department they need to be seen in.

I feel for you it’s so tiring x

TodayInahurry · 13/10/2023 08:22

Are NHS doctors still on strike? They don’t seem to care if people die

user1471505356 · 13/10/2023 08:26

Contact your MP they have staff that deal with this type of issue all the time.

Snugglemonkey · 13/10/2023 08:46

TodayInahurry · 13/10/2023 08:22

Are NHS doctors still on strike? They don’t seem to care if people die

What bollocks. Of course they care, they want decent pay and adequate staffing levels. Not outrageous asks!

Snippit · 13/10/2023 09:01

If you can afford it pay privately. We have done this with our daughter. At the age of 14 she was having bouts of tonsillitis constantly and her tonsils were touching causing sleep problems. Her G.P at the time said the NHS no longer removed tonsils and they are part of the immune system.

The specialist she saw was disgusted and that the G.P was incorrect. Operations are done and at the age of 14 are not part of the immune system. We decided to pay for her tonsillectomy, which 12 years ago cost £2000. It was worth every penny. The consultant was concerned due to them being so bad, and informed us that some G.Ps needed re educating about it.

We’ve also paid for her to have a sinus operation as these too were problematic, another £2000, that was 5 years ago. The consultant at the NHS hospital was reluctant to do the operation and prescribed nasal sprays instead. I honestly don’t think they have the capacity for all the operations needed in E.N.T, and it’s gotten much worse since covid.

LemonLight · 13/10/2023 09:18

I've been waiting three weeks just to get my MATB1 form 😒

Toddlerteaplease · 13/10/2023 09:45

He needs an ENT appointment. Not a paediatrician.

Toddlerteaplease · 13/10/2023 09:46

We had a child with such bad sleep apnoea that mum evaded up brining her to A&E. she had hers done as an emergency it was so bad. Poor mum had been completely fobbed off for ages.

Toddlerteaplease · 13/10/2023 09:48

Also make sure you have videos of him sleeping. Some ENT consultants will want a sleep study before listing. Done are happy with videos and a good history from parents.

elliejjtiny · 13/10/2023 10:15

Ds4 has just had an orthopaedic appointment after 8 months of waiting. He has waited 6 months for a hearing test, despite being known to audiology and wearing hearing aids. We managed to get a cancellation otherwise it would have been much longer. His teacher of the deaf won't help him without a recent hearing test so it's impacting on other things too.

Dc2 has been waiting for an asd assessment for 15 months. He's probably got another 8 months to go. And that's not counting the 11 years we spent trying to get him on the list in the first place.

Dc3 is waiting for the school to fill in the forms so that he can go on the list for an autism/adhd assessment. It will probably be 2 or 3 years before he's actually seen.

I feel your pain OP, it's awful.

CoffeeWithCheese · 13/10/2023 10:42

Always always always worth chasing up to make sure the referral has gone onto the system properly (and see if there's any scope for a cancellation or update them on the sheer level of need). Referrals get lost off the system far too bloody easily sometimes with the joys that are NHS IT systems!

Tellytibby · 13/10/2023 10:49

Toddlerteaplease · 13/10/2023 09:45

He needs an ENT appointment. Not a paediatrician.

Its still paeds.

olderthanyouthink · 13/10/2023 10:53

@zeibesaffron look up "right to choose" if you're in England and maybe wales, my wait time was only 6/7 months but the local service is closed to referrals because they're drowning

Puzzledandpissedoff · 13/10/2023 11:11

For anyone waiting for non emergency care I'd suggest calling the consultants' secretaries and enquiring whether they all share the same waiting times

I did the same for DS's minor procedure and found that, while the one the clinic doctor wished to involve had a two year waiting list, others were available within weeks. Sadly the doctor I saw didn't mention this, though he was very keen to push the benefits of using his chosen consultant privately

Needless to say I drew my own conclusions as to what the motivation for his choice may have been

Angrymum22 · 13/10/2023 11:27

DS19 has a SLAP tear in his shoulder. When I was told he would have to wait 6 wks for a non-urgent GP appointment we went privately. He saw the surgeon in September and will have the op next month. I know not everyone can afford to go privately but for us it means no foreign holidays for a couple of years. It would probably take 2-3 yrs for him to be treated under the NHS and we would have to accept whatever surgeon he is allocated. Privately he is able to see a surgeon who specialises in shoulders, particularly professional sports injuries. If left for two years, even with gentle sporting activity the injury will deteriorate and be a much more complex repair. Potentially he could end up with arthritis and longterm may need shoulder replacement.

Have you considered going privately for the initial consultation? Most consultants charge around £200. It’s unlikely you will need any expensive tests or scans and the surgeon will be able to tell you what sort of treatment is available. You don’t need to carry on privately.
Has you son got hearing problems? Push for a hearing test, congestion and enlarged tonsils and adenoids commonly cause loss of hearing. There is often more urgency with hearing loss problems. It’s not always obvious, signs to look for are turning up the volume on the TV or radio and ignoring you when they can’t see your face. DS had glue ear around 5-6 and the ENT were quick to operate because of the potential affect on reading and at school.