I know this isn’t the first thread, but the NHS is close to collapse

[Adropintheocean1]

I don’t want to be to outting, but basically I have some symptoms. GP suspected a condition due to these symptoms, and referred me to the hospital.

My hospital (large city) said we don’t test for this condition, please refer to x London hospital. London hospital said we are the only hospital dealing with this diagnosis, we are overwhelmed, we can’t see her. Suspected illness is not life threatening or limiting however does cause horrible chronic symptoms that need to be managed. So that’s it… GP seemed genuinely embarrassed. Basically if I want a diagnosis I need to go privately (can’t afford it.) GP said for a relatively poor area, his making as many private referrals as NHS ones.

Is it not time we got angry about this?

Yanbu. I'm a nurse, and it's awful. We don't have the staff to deal with the demand. It's very scary.

Write to your MP. Ask them to raise it in Parliament.

On a practical level, are there no other hospitals, in the country, that do this test?

That’s why I am paying into private healthcare plan - can’t really afford it but the NHS is falling apart !

@Alwaystired23 Thank you for your reply, what do you think the reason is from the front line? Is it the sheer number of people? Funding? I feel genuinely sad, I never thought I’d see the day… it’s only when you’re involved in it you truly see it.

It's simply being accepted. Healthcare is now absolutely shocking compared to other western nations.

@Shakethedisease I have considered it and think I will. I mean yes, probably! I am actually part of a FB group for this condition and people do appear to be being referred and seeing specialists, my GP actually didn’t even raise travelling as an option, I should question it.

@User67556 No it’s not mental, it’s a central nervous system condition. We already know the mental health services are in the gutter.

I went to see my GP last year about a rare (physical) condition which I’ve managed for a long time but which flared up to a point where I was completely unable to walk. The GP basically said “well it’s not life threatening so I’m afraid it would be a 6 month wait to see anyone - can you go private?” She was really apologetic about it and said she felt ashamed to be pushing me down that route but she felt I should know the realistic wait for care.

@tillyandmilly I don’t blame you frankly, but I think this is what they’re hoping people will
do.

Would it not just be easier to say what it is to get some targeted advice? You can always name change? I just can't see how only one hospital in London can diagnose 🤔

@lilythesheep Yes. My GP initally said the waiting list would be ‘ages’, but to not even be put on a list! We can see you never sorry. 😳

The issue is that if there's only one hospital in the country it is presumably not a common condition with a well-established treatment plan.
As medical science advances the NHS is being expected to treat people with all sorts of conditions which even 10-20 years ago people would have just lived with undiagnosed or died of, and then for the comorbidities that come from those conditions, the side effects of treatment, the mental health impacts of living with those physical problems etc etc.
Of course I am for the advancement of medical science and people to have access to good care, but we have to recognise that the scope of what is expected from the NHS has ballooned and either we need to massively increase resources to it to match or be upfront that their are limits to what can be offered by a free service and be more restrictive about the care offered.

Mixture of issues- buildings estate just falling apart at my Trust, so millions literally spent fixing leaks. Difficulty recruiting into any posts (medical/nursing etc). Low paid admin teams that are often poorly managed, so general chaos. Whims of government drive Trust and divisional priorities. Ever shrinking budgets, with increasing drug costs. I think we run a pretty good dept for patients, but it’s based on everyone being pretty burnt out, is lean on staffing and we’re constantly fire fighting.

@User67556 Not really. I don’t think the condition makes a difference particularly. I’m sure this hospital aren’t the ONLY one to diagnose, maybe the only ones within a fair distance? I’m just repeating what the GP said.

It’s chronic underfunding.
‘the needs of the population are more complicated as we live longer, aging population etc and the funding has been cut in real terms year on year.
the cuts to social care funding mean patients are also stuck in hospital as they can’t get funding or places to move out to make more space in hospital.
Write to your MP, join campaigns.
‘We all need the NHS at one point or another and it can be fixed IF the government prioritise it.
the NHS was world renowned and held up as a gold standard not that long ago (15-20 years ago)…
privatisation, lack of funding and funding being diverted from the NHS and social care:

the only way it will be saved is if enough people will stand up and say it’s our NHS and we want jt. The politicians will only act if there’s enough noise about it from the public.

ps. I’m so sorry OP that it’s come to this. I was referred for a straight forward test in September…waiting list is 11 months (used to get that test within 2 -3 weeks 18 years ago)

It really depends on what the condition is. The difference between say a stroke, epilepsy or MS, will then lead to very different advice you’ll get on the thread, in terms of what to try and get following nhs system, and what you could pursue privately.

We are rapidly heading into a terrifying system of economic inequality. If you are not financially well off enough to self-fund private care then you get no dentist, you get no scans, you get no tests or specialists... That's the British system of health care.

It does make a difference. How limiting is it? Will it kill you? If so that’s shocking. If it’s something that only mildly affects your life then a wait is reasonable.

It’s hard to know if the NHS is being reasonable or not by not knowing what it is Alcoholism and obesity really affects peoples’ lives. Would I expect an urgent referral? In most cases probably not.

Ok reason being is I had an NHS nurse discussing with me recently in a professional setting that fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome and a couple of other things are seen as psychological in the NHS and resources are being really limited for those types of issue. I wondered if it was anything like that because then I could understand why there was an issue with you accessing help - rather than the NHS being 'on its knees' etc is it just that they're focusing limited resources at the 'right' things? A close family member of mine had a heart attack and sepsis recently and the care has been prompt, thorough and nothing short of excellent, can't fault cardiac care at all and I'm on the south coast. Just a thought!

Just to add you did say they said 'we are the ONLY hospital dealing with this diagnosis' now you're saying it's not the only hospital in London that can diagnose? I'm confused.

@Motharunner Well I said in my OP it’s not life threatening. It does affect my life, mildly some days and drastically on others. A wait is reasonable, this is not a wait this is a - we will see you never. Basically this won’t kill you so we’re not liable. It’s not a condition I’ve inflicted upon myself through lifestyle either.

@Adropintheocean1 is it worth asking if they do a cancellation list? I realise they are overwhelmed so maybe they don't offer that any more.

I expect it won’t be long before the private system is unable to cope with demand too.

Scary times.

Is that we basically have private healthcare by the back door? If you don’t have private healthcare you are stuffed so anyone that can afford it gets it so the nhs left as the basement back up service for the poor. Like US but done quietly. That’s how it seems.