Wait time for 'urgent' NHS referral

[twodoorsup]

Posting here for traffic.

What has been your experience with wait time for an 'urgent' referral to a specialist by your GP? I have been told by my GP a few months which doesn't seem urgent & given symptoms feel it should be a bit faster (it's gyne related FYI) but I am well aware of the backlog etc. So just wanting to know what other's wait times have been like? Thanks

Both my referrals were under the 2 week pathway to rule out cancer and both were within the specified time.

Have You tried googling your local hospital website for the info? Mine has a list of departments and waiting times.

I had a referral for something that could be cancerous in 3 weeks but it’s unclear whether your issue comes under the 2 week wait criteria.

Crickey and few months for an urgent referral? I thought if cancer for example was suspected it was a 2 week wait? Am I right to assure they don’t think it’s that?

Have they given you any idea what the issue could be?

My urgent for Gyne took 9 months but sons urgent for derm took 3 weeks. I'd give the secretary a call if you know who the consultant is or if not call booking and tell them you're willing to accept any cancellation and ask how long the wait is

Where I am there are three categories routine, urgent and 2 week wait. 2 week wait is the most urgent really, and urgent comes before routine.

Depends on what specialty but gynae has long waits.
2ww is only really truly urgent pathway and this has lead to massive abuse

DH's "urgent" referral for orthopaedics has a 10-15 week wait time, during which he is off work on full pay. He works for the NHS. They can't tell him when to expect an appointment. We've already paid for a private MRI to speed things up when he does see the consultant.

If you don't have cancer or a serious acute condition then the NHS is truly fucked.

Urgent referral to Rheumatology. appointment triaged within a few days and given an appointment in January - so 8 months.

Urgent x ray done on the day three weeks ago, still no report.

Private rheumatologist appointment, chose someone who works at my local hospital and the wait is 6 weeks.

While I’m waiting my hands are losing function (keep dropping things, can’t carry heavy pans) and I’m in pain. Walking is uncomfortable.

Hospitals have to publish their waiting times by specialty for both outpatient appointments and surgery/commencing treatment.

It might be worth doing a Google search for your hospital trust and outpatient referral waiting times.

I was told several months for an endoscopy, then had a call for a cancellation a week later !
It’s obviously going to vary from hospital to hospital, I don’t know how you find that out, maybe the hospital website as mentioned above?
Ive not experienced the 2 week cancer pathway often mentioned here. My daughter has cancer , it was never mentioned , just a series of scans etc over a period of time eventually leading to a diagnosis . It didn’t take long to be fair, maybe it happened and I just didn’t realise she was on it ! ( she has learning difficulties so I’m very involved in her care)

This. I was referred last Tuesday under the 2 week pathway and my appointment is today. This is a large city.

My husband was referred to cardiology for urgent heart surgery 8 months ago and is still waiting to even be given a date

Ring the med sec of the gynae dept to chase it up.

That’s shocking. How olds your DH?

That’s awful, has he been chasing it up to make sure the referral hasn’t got lost?

Out of curiosity I just googled my local hospital to see how long I might have had to wait for an endoscopy, I’m sure the information is there somewhere but I couldn’t be bothered to trawl through it all! Any advice is going to be anecdotal here, I’d attempt to look at your local hospital!

Friend has had Urgent referral for cardiac surgery and still waiting for the op over a year later. Was told normally it would be done in two weeks and they could drop down dead any minute.

dd is waiting for gynae, she’s had a non stop period for over a year, literally doesn’t stop bleeding. Loads of pain It took a year to get an appt, she saw someone in Jan and is now waiting for a laparoscopy, was told it would be at least six months.

Got a distinct feeling that anything obs/gynae related is more of a nuisance than priority to the NHS as a whole.

Gynae is notorious for long waiting times.

This site says it has waiting times

www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk

Our 2 week gynae pathway is currently 2-3 months!!

1.5 weeks for 2ww for gynae. The hospital had one of the worst waiting times for gynaecology last year so was quite pleased.

It’s a disgrace, women will die. Can only hope that Labour get in and the nhs stops being so underfunded. It wasn’t this bad before Covid. I’m assuming it’s staff shortages impacting on wait times now?

My urgent gynae appointment was over a year.

But turned out when I rang department that's because they decided to make it "regular" or whatever the term is.

I went back to GP who expedited it as they'd been seeing me for years and all treatments failed.

I'd had hysterectomy within a year of that call!

ds had an urgent orthodontic referral (one of his teeth is impacted and killing the root of another adult tooth). It took 11 months to see someone and then we expect 12-24 months for an urgent op. Hopefully his tooth can survive that long.

I appreciate that dental work is not life threatening however. The gynae/cardiac waits are unconscionable

3 weeks for something that could have been cancer (a dark spot on a nail bed), and 5 months to see the consultant for a serious neurological problem. To be seen that soon I had to accept an appointment at a hospital in the next city, and they know I don't have transport. And now I have to wait for the MRI to be available.