to be furious with the NHS!!

[Psammead]

My father has had a very large and extremely painful varicose vein in his leg for a while now. He eventually got his assessment and was told that it would be operated on, and that the waiting list was 6-8 weeks. The procedure was supposed to be a non-invasive heat-based operation to close the vein.

He could hardly wait for the appointment as he is having a lot of difficultly walking and getting around, and has been for a long time now. He is normally a very active person so understandably this is getting him down. The pain is so bad that he has to take extra-strong opium-based pain killers just to get by.

A couple of weeks after being told he was on the waiting list, he received a letter saying that his operation is now being cancelled because his case was reviewed and he didn't qualify for the surgery. The letter also said that this was in follow-up to his doctor also telling him that he wouldn't be having the operation, which is something that never happened - he simply received the letter out of the blue. We don't know why he hasn't qualified - he is in so much pain and it's not as if it's a cosmetic surgery or something - he really needs this operation.

He has been told that he can appeal the decision, but he has no idea how to go about this, or how long he will have to wait during the appeals procedure. He is so very desperate to get this operation done that he is also considering going private, which my parents cannot really afford.

I cannot stress enough how much this is affecting his mental state - he is so depressed about it, and this sudden reversal of the decision has felt like a kick in the teeth.

So, am I being unreasonable in being incredibly angry with the NHS and how they have treated my dad?

Does anyone have experience of appealing against a NHS decision? If so, what did you have to do? How long did it take?

Has anyone had anything done privately with no insurance? Any good but not-too-expensive private health organisations out there?

(sorry this is a bit of a sneaky AIBU, I'm looking more for advice really - have also posted this in 'Health' but I am so anxious to help him I figured it would be seen by more people here).

Sorry, no time to write a full reply but in your/his position I would be onto PALS www.pals.nhs.uk/ for help.

I would be tempted to double check the circumstances to be honest - if the letter gives info that isn't true (i.e he was already given the decision by a doctor) I'd be inclined to think that there MAY have been an administrative error. First thing to do on Tuesday morning would be to ring his consultants secretary - see if she can clarify things and if no mistake HAS been made, then see if she can help or if you get nowhere there, go straight back to his GP who presumably referred him in the first place. Hope you get it sorted ASAP.

All I can suggest is to ring the consultants secretary and ask for clarification and explain that you think there is a mistake and that he is great pain,restricted lifestyle and that his GP has not said that to him. It sounds like a genuine clerical error or error in communication somewhere. DOn't lose hope just go straight vis the consultants secretary, be calm and explain the situation clearly without getting emotional or het up.....it probably isn't her fault either. YOu might be surprised at how quickly this is resolved.

....and I am not belittling the situation just offering an option I know works!

via not vis....and x posts!!

Definitely phone the consultant's secretary and find out if there has been a mistake. If the letter says he has been told by a doctor but he hasn't, then it really does sound as though a mistake could have been made. Explain the situation and ask to see the consultant again if it doesn't get cleared up immediately. If that's not possible, go back to GP and ask to be re-referred.

Good luck, hope this gets sorted out quickly for your dad.

definitely do what others have suggested and contact the consultants secretary.

it could be an error, hope you get there

Excellent advice from Sassy and M44. One factor may be that Primary Care Trusts, who pay for the ops, see varicose vein surgery as inessential and a ripe area for cuts - it's possible some commissioner has suddenly made them restrict the criteria.* But worth establishing whether it's a mistake, first.

*Obviously an intelligent approach would be to say, SOME varicose vein ops may not bring much benefit but let's ask the doctors to decide which patients do benefit, shall we? Sadly this is not always the case...

I think we have to accept that there are and should be limits to what we can get on the NHS.
I have paid for two private operations on my vvs myself, and gladly so.
I am surprised yuor father's are painful. Mine weren't-not really.

Sorry, I should have added that they phoned the consultant and he confirmed that the op had been cancelled. When they asked the reason, the admission office said it was due to lack of funding. Sorry, didn't mean to drip feed the info, I forgot to include it in my OP.

Ah, I was right then, it's the sodding PCT thinking 'here's a neat way to save money'. And never mind the fact that some patients do actually need surgery, just as some children do benefit from grommets.

Get onto PALS and ask them to support you through the appeals process. I'd also go to your MP (after next week, obviously).

Thank-you edam and to anyone else who has replied so far. It's appreciated.

Does anyone have any experience of the appeals process and how long it takes?

My mother will definitely contact the MP!

I think you will need to appeal to your Primary Care Trust. You should ask for their policy on varicose vein procedures and a copy of their process to appeal against the decision. You will probably need support from your GP. In this case I would think that your appeal would be based on pain and reduced mobility. Many PCTs do not fund procedures which are cosmetic only - but this does not appear to be the case here, so you probably have a good chance. if you are not clear which Primary Care Trust area you live in then it is quite easy to google, or post on here. Best of luck!

moondog I have no idea why it's painful, maybe it's pressing against a nerve?

I do agree that there need to be limits, but when someone's standard of living is affected to such an extent that they are becoming depressed and have limited mobility, I think it crosses that boundary.

Its crazy the PCT making a blanket ban on this type of surgery (if that is the case). Yes there probably are cases where this is non-essential surgery but your father's doesn't sound like one of those cases from what you've said. Surely the NHS picking up the cost of his painkillers and the other consequences of him being less mobile over a long period of time will end up costing the NHS more in the long run than a simple operation.

greensnail that's exactly what I advised my mother to write in her MP letter. Theoretically he would be on these pain killers for many many years and surely that would be more expensive?

Apparently they also know of one other case in our area (a youngish girl with a varicose vein) who has also been refused treatment.

If I were a cynical person I would say they are trying to reduce their waiting lists in time for the new administration.

Thank-you honeyandlemon

OP - in that case, I'd see the GP as your first port of call - some varicose veins aren't problematic and surgery would be classed as cosmetic, but some, like your dads can be horribly painful and really restrictive and if the 'funding' decisions have been made by some numptys in management and admin, they need to be challenged. I'd definately go via the GP - good luck!

Yes Psammead and its not just the cost of the pain killers. If its already affecting his mental state, the cost of treating any future depression needs to be thought about. Plus if he's less mobile he's more likely to develop other conditions as over a period of time he'll become less fit, put on weight etc, etc.

Quite - it's the difference between a doctor seeing a patient and deciding what the medical needs of that patient are and how they should be met, and a ruddy senior manager looking at the books and thinking 'right, I'm sure I heard somewhere varicose vein removal is cosmetic so we can save money there'.

By all means give doctors information about the long term effects of surgery, which patients stand to benefit and which don't, but don't for heaven's sake give the book-keepers the right to say who 'deserves' treatment or not.

Thread resurrection

Sorry to bring this one back from the dead, but my parents followed advice given on here and have now had the decision overturned - he is back on the waiting list.

Just wanted to say a BIG thank-you to everyone who replied :D

THANK-YOU!

I missed this thread first time round, but I am very glad indeed to hear that things have been sorted out. I hope your dad's op goes ahead soon, and that he recovers swiftly and can get back to his normal life.

It sounds like your dad is having the laser version of surgery - if so i had this a couple of years ago (privately), and it was brilliant. Not painful at all (the worst bit was them putting in the local anaesthetic). I had a tiny cut which you can barely see the scar of now.

They told me to take two days off work, i didn't really need it. The most painful thing about recovery was the super-tight bandage they put on, but i'm told they don't do this and give you support stockings instead now. Would suggest your dad ask about this, and get the stockings rather than bandage if possible.