NHS waiting times

[Funkypolar]

Covid has completely finished the NHS off.

My mother needs an endoscopy. The next appointment she can make is December 2021!

My friend works as a nurse in an eye clinic - their backlog is now predicted to be two years long.

Tempted to get private health insurance, if Covid doesn’t get me, something else is bound to finish me off.

@Buttybach that is shit. I believe the nhs funding system needs a complete overhaul from the ground up. I also had to go private recently for a MH/Gynae issue.

I won't bore you all with our story but my DP has been diagnosed with a cancer that needs surgery to give him any chance of survival. It has taken us months to get this far but there is still no date for his operation. I think he will die before all this is over.

@bloodywhitecat I know I’m pointing out the obvious, but have you complained to Pals? That’s the sort of operation that should not be delayed if it would lead to his death!

@bloodywhitecat
That is so awful
I would urge poster's to listen to radio 4 world at one from last Thursday.
From 24mins onwards.
Cardiologist talking about how many hospitals and doctors were quiet during lockdown, now elective services stopping again due to hysteria about rising cases.
The patient on the show was just 49 and end stage heart failure. She needs a simple cardiology procedure to stop her having a cardiac arrest at any point.
This lady and bloody whitecats husband are being abandoned because approx 800 people were admitted to hospital last week with covid.. Of them a handful will die, mostly elderly with Co morbidities..

WHAT ARE WE ALLOWING TO HAPPEN..

I was put on the surgical waiting list August 2019 they can't even tell me when I'll be going to theatre as they've not started surgery except for cancers at the hospital I'm under.
I got a generic letter saying we know you've waited over a year but covid-19 is the problem. I'd say it's only half the problem there were issues before (pre covid-19 I'd waited longer than the 18 weeks) covid-19 has just made a bad situation worse.
I had endoscopy last year (so pre covid) and was urgent as they'd found a lump on scan it was 10 week wait.

I’m so sorry for everyone posting on here who is suffering. Bloody awful.

DD awaiting operation. When she has a flare up of current problem it involves an emergency operation, so far carried out within 7-9 hours once it's deemed nothing else can be done by medication and she's referred. Ironically, she can't have the main operation if inflamed. So far this year she's had three hospital referrals being more time consuming for NHS than the main thing. She doesn't fear going in, as is in normally a lot of pain for 2-3 days before and is desperate to be referred.

That's weird. I needed a referral to endo. Appt came through very quickly. A few months. I then needed a dexa which happened within a few weeks.

Still waiting on allergy testing though that was postponed due to covid. Might give them a ring to see if they've restarted yet.

@Buttybach I'm so sorry about your dad. Glioblastoma is a fucking horrible thing, and the way you and your family were treated is shameful.

I'm saddened by what the NHS is being turned into by rich greedy cunts.

Im waiting on a gynecologist referral after raised ca125 (I'm 29). Worried how long it'll take 😔

I'm waiting on a gynaecologist referral i think they're hoping by the time I get there that I'll be menopausal not peri so I'll not need treatment, but I have an ovarian cyst the size of an apple apparently! Also waiting referral for cardiology, as my gp despite not actually seeing me has decided my constant palpitations are not urgent. No appointments available at all.
Very disappointing and I work for the nhs, our workload is back to pre-COVID levels so some clinics are working.

As an NHS worker, the most significant factor in our (ever increasing) waiting times, is mental health decline from working through covid. Nearly half our team are on long term sick now so the delay for treatment is going up and up and up. There's no other staff. Can't get anyone.

I know it's not anything critical but 13 months ago I ask for a referral to SALT for DD. She's seen one therapist in that time, 2 weeks before lockdown in March. I've spoke to the therapist today as school are asking for her targets which she has obviously completed as they were set 7 months ago. I'm told they're finally starting to arrange appointments again. Which is great. However they have nearly 500 referrals to get through first, plus DD had an appointment recently compared to others so she'll be near the back of the queue. I'll be surprised if she sees a therapist in the next 6 months. I feel like banging my head up a brick wall.

My friend needs urgent mental health care but he had an operation in January and is in pain. He can't have the mental health care while in pain but the pain clinic is still shut "because of covid". This has been going on since march.

Waiting 10 months so far for gallbladder removal, hurts most days, just hoping it doesn’t become more serious in the meantime. Can’t see it happening before next year now ☹️

I think a lot must depend on area. During the height of lockdown restrictions I went in for a similar procedure to your MIL.
In any case it's the Tories that have damaged the NHS not COVID!

Gynae referral after abnormal scans (late Jan 2020) Should have been seen at the hospital within two months. An apology letter just 2 weeks ago. And still waiting. Is this what the government are intending; a privatisation, so those that can pay for private healthcare will go on their merry way and be healed forthwith, those of us that cannot will unfortunately suffer the consequences?

No “routine” gynae referrals being seen at all where I live.

Ds was referred for an urgent test at the end of February. Was told it would be within a month. We are still waiting with no test in sight. Although not life threatening the result could change his medical treatment long term and his current medication may be causing more issues than it will solve.

He wears a full body lycra suit which hasn’t fitted him for the last 3 months. Normally we phone to say it’s getting short and we are measured within the month with another 6 weeks to make one so we can time it so he isn’t without. At the moment I am being told it’s at least 6 month wait to be measured and then the time to make a new one.

I’m actually surprised they haven’t cancelled maternity services. Pregnant women get handed a leaflet on “how to push out a baby” with instructions to call 999 only if labour has lasted more than 72 hours.

I tried to book a private gastroscopy on Monday. The private consultant l saw said it would be a waste of time. Lots of NHS stuff has been outsourced to private hospitals. He said it would be quicker on the NHS, and the people on reception agreed with him. I was told a few weeks wait.

I don’t like private medicine, but you cannot get an urgent appointment on the NHS.

I’m actually surprised they haven’t cancelled maternity services. Pregnant women get handed a leaflet on “how to push out a baby” with instructions to call 999 only if labour has lasted more than 72 hours.

Don’t give them ideas!

Can anybody explain the logic of why maternity services are still open but other urgent services have been cancelled? Why are antenatal scans seen as a priority when all other types of radiography have backlogs that are years long?

Can anybody explain the logic of why maternity services are still open but other urgent services have been cancelled? Why are antenatal scans seen as a priority when all other types of radiography have backlogs that are years long?

What is open and shut seems to be down to the whims of individual parts of the NHS. There is no reason why (in my area) consultant nurses can see you but consultants can’t or that neurology is open but a pain clinic isn’t. It’s almost as if no one is in charge.

Thank you all for your kind words regarding my dad. I still feel absolutely numb about it all and can't comprehend it's happened.

My mum rang the surgery to explain that dad had been diagnosed at the start and was in hospital as they kept sending automated Letters for urine tests. She asked the receptionist to tell the GP and the receptionist said "I can put a note on the file but the GP won't speak to you about it as they are far too busy!"

You can tell that certain sections of the NHS are absolutely working their asses off and their mental health is at stake! I really feel for the front line and ward staff the ones we met on the day my dad passed were on their knees.

Whereas some are completely safe in offices doing calls and putting their patients totally at risk by not physically seeing them.
Yet I work in SEN education for an absolute pittance working with medically extremely vulnerable teens and many of their parents Are carers or key workers. We are expected to be face to face in a room with them unmasked as we are in a bubble. We are 4 weeks in and I'm shattered by it all.
We wear full PPE to do toileting several times a day.
Yet a move to any other job is totally off the cards at the moment due to so many being off work.

The NHS shouldn't be letting people down like this.