NHS colleague has queue jumped a waiting list

[iamfrustrated]

I want to preface this by saying that everything I say, I have been told by my colleague themselves. I am not making assumptions.

This colleague is waiting for some fairly urgent surgery. During the pre-operative assessment a fairly minor issue was detected. It does not preclude the major surgery but can be solved by a minor surgical procedure.

They have, in the space of two weeks, been seen by a consultant, listed for surgery, pre-assessed for this procedure and given a date. Meanwhile, I am waiting for an appointment in the same department and it’s going on seven months without an idea of when I will be seen.

My managers are aware of the situation and she is almost gleeful in how they are telling everyone that this has happened, that they’ve jumped the queue and they have basically cheated the system for a date.

I am so angry. I do not see how it is fair. AIBU to complain to my managers about this, as at the very least I think you shouldn’t be so gleeful about it?

So what has happened that makes this a "queue jump"?

If it has happened exactly the way you described, then yes I would complain.

You have no idea of the detail. probably best to keep out and focus on chasing up your own appointments

How did she do it? Does she schedule patient appointments and she manipulated the appointment dates in her favour?

Or might it be that her surgery is, as you describe, urgent and that’s why she’s being seen ‘ahead of you’?

It’s the fact she was fast tracked in to see a consultant. She’s said herself she knows that she should’ve been waiting a long time

Who was involved in fast tracking her?

If the major surgery is urgent surely it's reasonable that the minor surgery to enable it should be prioritised ahead of other cases?

Is your issue “fairly urgent”?

Maybe they have been prioritised as the original “fairly urgent” procedure can’t take place until the incidental finding has been dealt with.

Unless you are waiting for exactly the same procedure then you can't compare.
Even then it's difficult because there are other factors at play, not just first come first served.
It is annoying if they are rubbing it in your face though.

Some time ago I needed a minor surgical procedure. I saw the consultant privately and told him it would have to be NHS. The procedure (which would normally have meant a long wait) was done within 3 weeks.

No, they’ve been quite open that the minor procedure doesn’t preclude the major surgery and it’s not even necessary, it’s entirely incidental that it was even picked up.

This is the crux of it. Come on OP tell us how she did it!

Our manager has apparently been the one to fast track it all

I’m surprised anyone is surprised by this. This happens all the time in my experience of some people who work in the NHS. They also seem to take a lot of “sick days” to coincide with various occasions they wish to attend.

It’s gone on forever.

‘Apparently’. So we don’t know. Is your manager clinical?

Or are THEY the person scheduling the appointments and abusing the system? If so, either ask them to do it for you (if you can’t beat them…) or complain.

Yes, lots and lots of sick days

This infuriates me.
I’ve been waiting for surgery for 3 years. This issue is debilitating, getting worse and making my life absolute hell on earth. I have tried to kill myself because waiting is so painful and I have no control and no dates. I’m at the mercy of a random person who doesn’t have to try and live my life. (Yes I’ve had therapy, my therapist agrees it’s a physical issue there’s nothing wrong with my head).
All this because people are not triaged for my type of surgery, but instead it’s done of a wait list. Whilst I am getting and feeling worse knowing full well there are people who can live their life ahead of me on list because they just want the cosmetic side.
When you see injustice like this please call it out!

It really angers me.

How? Unless they run the hospital on their own? There are checks and balances which prevent exactly this situation, and have been for years.

I think your colleague is on the wind up.

They’re not. Believe me, they’re so open about their entire health history, we’d know if they’d had this issue before.

Exa this. Especially if the major surgery involves multiple teams and lots of planning, they won’t want to delay it.

The colleague has said that the minor procedure doesn’t preclude surgery.

I was due to have surgery tomorrow. It was cancelled as they have given my appointment to someone else. I wish they hadn't told me that!

To be fair, sometimes we do say it can help soften the blow if we explain it’s because of cancer cases etc!

OK, and how was she fast tracked?

Who arranged it?

In what way was this not appropriate or within policy?