NHS, i am fuming

[sarajones2]

I have been to two appointments at my local NHS trust hospital both times told i more than likely have a basel cell carcinoma. Although not likely to be fatal it is very close to the eye and i am very suspicious of the constant eye infections that have reaccurring. Today i have been told i will have to wait until june to have it removed. After one docters appt and two consultant appointments i am still sitting here with skin cancer and told to wait three more months.

However as soon as i mentioned that i have private medical insurance the consulatants demeanor completely changed. Oh yes, of course i can visit him in his privat clinic on wednesday for an immediate biopsy. Amazing what happens as soon as you open your wallet..i am fuming! Am i wrong to be angry? To be treated so shoddily unless i pay an extortianate price even though i have paid national insurance all my adult life.

I didn't want to use the private medical, i trusted the docters to treat me without having to go down the private route. I feel so bad for those that don't have the luxury.

That is enough to make anyone fume indeed.

Can I just tell you that I had a basal cell carcinoma about 10 years ago, just below my right eye. I had a bit of a wait although can't recall how long. My GP said it really wasn't urgent as they're extremely slow-growing. NHS Dr did a very neat job and I went tback to work in the afternoon. I rather wish I'd had the other side done too as it has a very slight effect of a face-lift!!

Has the two week wait been abolished then? I thought for cancer treatment you had to be treated within two weeks?

Sorry for your troubles btw. That's why we have PMI though - because you never know what state the NHS will be in when you need help.

It is sad but true, same thing happened to me, if I went on the NHS there was no guarantee when I could be seen over 46 urgent cases were waiting to be seen, but as I had private cover I could see same consultant whenever I wanted. Cant be right can it.

Its awful isnt it but not sure why u r angry ?? Its to be expected, those who can pay get fast tracked those that cant just sit n wait. The NHS was set up for those who didnt even have the option to sit n wait so in that respect at least they get treated. But the fact that theres little equality between the rich n poor is across any public sector. Local leisure centres r nothing like private gyms, education system....

In all fairness Flojo1979, i have never experienced this before so just shocked at the moment and sad for all the people who aren't in the fortunate position as i am. And not because i can afford PI either, it is provided by my emploeyer. Yes have really had a wake up call. What money can buy eh.

However saying that, I don't really think it is fair to compare a gym membership to the importance of a persons health.

You've got PI so use it. Free up the NHS for those who haven't got it.

Not fair I agree, but that's the way it works

Sandripples, did they perform MOHS surgery on you? I am rather scared of the outcome. I have lost all my bottom eyelashes it is just on the margin and getting closer to my eye. Tols i would need reconstruction surgery to my bottom eyelid.

Tell that to all the obese kids who get picked on for trying at their local leisure centre.
I wasn't comparing, i was saying, it sucks, the void between rich n poor. From leisure centres to education to health care.

Trust me if it was urgent they would have you in asap. DH was called in within 12 hours of his blood test and started treatment within 24hour when he has cancer.
Perosnally I would go via PI, if you can do.

lisa - sadly not always true. My dcousin's wee boy had what she had been told was a cyst on the inside of his bottom eyelid - was told 33 week wait for NHS consultant. She was worried about it so went to see consultant privately - he's now been given an urgent appointment to have it removed under general anaesthetic and she was told if she'd waited til NHS appointment his eyesight would have been permanently damaged... I work for NHS, I think NHS is a wonderful institution, but sometimes we get it so wrong.

I am not sure from your post whether you have received a confirmed diagnosis of BCC but have posted assuming that this is the case.

I'm sorry you are going through this.

That said, I don't think that you have been treated shoddily. NHS cancer care is based around need. You have been asked to wait as (thankfully) you have a condition that is relatively non-aggressive therefore priority goes to more urgent cases. From your own point of view, this means that the problem is dealt with later rather than sooner and I appreciate that this is far from ideal, but it does not mean that the NHS is "abandoning you to your fate" as it were.

I wish you all the best with your treatment.

its not the case 100% of the time of course. The GP had missed DH cancer for ayear sadly, but once they knew what it was thet were very quick.

Thank you all for your replies.

methodsandmaterials, so far three appointments all have said very likely but without biopsy, cannot confirm.
I am more upset at the thought of if this was a family member who wasn't covered privately. Then what, sit and wait for it to get worse? Maybe damage my vision? I know something isn't right with this eye, the reacurring infetions tell me that. Plus the BCC is very visible and bleeding.

I am sure i will feel better in the morning, just wanted to vent out my frustrations. Logis tells me its not fair put it still pains me that the poor are not getting a good NHS service.

I understand your frustration.
I suspect that your consultants are basing their treatment plan on the assumption that is is indeed BCC. As this is a usually a very slow growing and non-aggressive tumour type, I think that they are probably going on the logic that during your wait time, the BCC is highly unlikely to progress any further. If they suspected that there would be damage to your eyesight, my guess is that they would treat you quickly. It would take a very unethical consultant to leave you languishing on the NHS waiting list for a condition that was likely to progress; while offering to do it quickly if you paid privately.
Have you asked whether he feels that June is too long a wait in this respect?

The consultant i saw today explained that due to the limited number of Mohs surgeons available 3 months is indeed the waiting time, his response was "it is not lung cancer". I was quite shocked at that to be honest, but i let it go. Diplomacy obviouly not his strongest of qualities. So i guess, in his proffesional opinion there is no urgency. Although, it has gotten alot worse over the last few weeks and is now bleeding. Everything i have read about BCC states that they do not migrate, however, i am not going to take that chance and wait 3 months.

I have found two private registered Mohs surgeons so i will making an appointment with them tomorrow to have this removed. I am one of the lucky ones with PI, i would hate this to have been one of my family members.

Yes, no awards for bedside manner .
Good luck with your appointment.

I know this is a very old thread, but i just want to add something. The belief is that if something goes wrong, NHS will stand there ready is not true. My dh had an aortic pseudo-aneurysm removed last March an extremely dangerous condition that required emergency surgery. The local hospital could not find him a consult appointment for 3 weeks, private consultant (not the same though) operated in 5 days. Would be even faster, but the condition was complicated and he said he needed to call his peers to discuss. Gave us 50x50 chances of survival, I cried all day and night for my dh (cry as I type also) but in the end all went super. On the 3 month follow up with our GP he said that emergency private treatment saved my dh live.

I think you iwll get guaranteed emergency care as emergency if you are bleeding on the table right now. Otherwise I would not hold my breath.

NHS desperately needs reforming. One should be very careful, very thoughtful of how it is done and if at all possible this debate should be outside any party politics.

The NHS lets you down when individual depts or consultants are lazy or disorganised. It's just plain wrong to blame the NHS per se.

OP - if your consultant is offering to see you privately during normal working hours this will probably be in breach of his NHS contract. Ask to speak to the Department Head or Clinical Director and ask if that consultant is authorised to do this. Ask if the (your) 18 week pathway is being breeched (you should wait no more than 18 weeks between initial consultation and procedure). If you don't get a satisfactory answer from the HOD, do write to the Clinical Director.

Doctors have lost their jobs by whistle blowing on bufty consultants creating huge waiting lists to thus generate a tidy private practice.

If you sniff a rat, go for it.........

bemybebe - using your case as an example, you can encourage your local (DGH) hospital consultant to look further afield if your local tertiary hospital is being bone idle. They can do this, and by withdrawing 'business' from the lazy dept, that dept (or rather the Chief Exec of the Trust) will see a drop in income and Q's will be asked. DH has done this to his local Tertiary Hospital as their Cardiothoracic surgeons are bone idle. The patients weren't initially keen to travel 35 miles instead of 15 miles, but the further away hospital gives a far quicker, more professional service.

Many doctors are reluctant to stop referring to the local tertiary Unit (even in the face of bad service), for fear of locally upsetting the apple cart.