Urgent Referral for Cancer

[EdithGrantham]

DH was referred three weeks ago and has only just had the letter through today with an appointment for 2 weeks time. The letter says he should be seen within 2 weeks of referral. Is there anything we can do it is it just a case of this is what the NHS is like at the moment?

I'm afraid the NHS is missing the 2ww targets as well as all the others.
You could try and ring up to say you'll take a cancellation at short notice.

Ok, thank you, it's such a worry when the word cancer is spread all over the letter, hopefully it ends up being nothing

Are you NHS every hospital has a Patient Experience Team. It's like a complaints department. Phone them and tell them.

I can't find the details for that, or is it the same as PALS?

It’s the way the nhs is at the minute. Hope everything goes okay for your husband.

If it's a scan he needs or something like that to confirm, could you go private for it? I know several people who have done this and this expedited their diagnosis so they could then have their treatment on the NHS. I know you shouldn't have to - but put it on a credit card if you must. It's too important.

I of course don't know what they're concerned about or if the tests needed are much more costly than something like a scan, but it's worth considering.

Ring the medical secretary. It might be referral wasn’t received in a timely way. Many trusts are trying to catch up post lockdown. The two week target is disappearing altogether shortly.

Whilst worrying, most urgent referrals don’t end up with anything sinister.

I’m afraid that everything urgent is being labelled suspected cancer just to get an earlier appointment. DH went to GP and GP referred him under the 2 week rule, he said otherwise he would be waiting nearly a year. The trouble is now that there’s too many urgent referrals. DH was fine, had a few tests, CT scans. We emailed department as you cannot get through on phone asking if they had any cancellations he would be available and did get one, but a follow up appointment was missed as letter wasn’t sent. Then we got a letter saying he missed appointment and they would book him another.

Thanks all, we're not sure what tests will be involved so can't really book private, not that we could afford it anyway!
The referral definitely went through on time because he rang the dentist to check and they had sent it on the day they saw him.
I've suggested he rings to get on the cancellation list but he's not feeling like he has the emotional energy to do it and won't let me ring for him either.
Fingers crossed it turns out to be either nothing at all or something easily dealt with.

Just thought I'd pop back on to say DH is fine, consultant couldn't find any trace of what the dentist had referred him for, so relieved!