my dad aged 75 waiting for a knee op - how can i speed it up (NHS)

[KittySpencersEmerald]

he needs a knee othroscoopy.
has been waiting for 6 months.
is ina lot of pain/ is virtually lame.
is of old shcool deferential " oh no dr its fine" mentality.
need this done then can have a shock on his heart which has arythmia.
has gone from active mountain goat type thing to old man in about a year.

am waiting to tlak to his GP about it - tbh he hasnt got another year to wait.

any tips on how to push it along.
both parents utterly depressed by it.
( mum true to form looking at who she can blame (!))

thinks eh cant pay to go private as needs to be in proper hospital due to heart things

You can't. It's called a waiting list. Although sometimes people who bully and shout their way get to the top of the list because the NHS staff dealing with it can't stand it any longer but not because of need.

It sucks. Unless you have the money to go private.

My dad aged 92 is in similar situation but virtually written off by NHS because he's old

private hospitals ARE proper hospitals

i dont htink out local one has facilities to operate on folk wiht heart problems tbh.

its annoying isnt it.
i was thinking " and none of us out of a family of five have ever had an operation - apart from his heart adn my sisters incident with the crochet hook"
lol - as if you haev a book of vouchers..

He can phone the consultants secretary and say that he is willing to take any last minute cancellations.

he got as far as cusomer care at the hosp

THINK he has been offered last min ones but all at private hosps

deffo butter up the consultant's sec, good luck. cry.

I don't have any great ideas on this one but you could try an online doctor might be able to help. It costs £15 but it could be a good investment.

I hope you find a way.

ah, he def needs to get to the secretary rather than customer care. At the switchboard just ask for Mr consultants secretary please.

now crying is an option i havent considered.

go private then transfer to nhs hospital with facility for cardiac problem
talk to consultant about it

thansk yesway

He might be able to get it done on a private basis but at same hospital - worth asking consultant. Lots of NHS hospitals have private facilities. Definitely ask about cancellation appointments too. Also the new funding year from start of April may mean things move quicker for a bit.

oh thansk liz
light at end of the tunel

are you in Wales? Nobody in England should be waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.

18 weeks! i dream
yes england

Agree no one should be waiting more than 18 weeks.

I would contact consultants secretary

Then the hospital has fucked up, assuming they got the referral from the GP more than 18 weeks ago? They have to meet the 18 week waiting time target in something like 95% of cases and chief execs are measured on their performance on this. Have a look at the Dept of Health website or NHS Choices and then make a big fuss!

ok thanks all.
i just rang the GP
who said its fine to talk but i need to tell dad first so he knows/approves.

so will do that later

You need to ask the GP when he was referred - has he even been seen in clinic? If so you need that date too. Then you should ring the hospital PALS and ask them to find out why he hasn't been listed for the procedure.

it all got delayed by the heart thing - so bypassed off for that to be checked out

that was before xmas, was put back on list.
not new is april would be lucky...
he isnt ancient btu you know time is precious.!

Kitty - what I recommend is that you find out from the consultant's secretary whether he sees patients privately as outpatients and what the procedure is for seeing him. It would cost ~£200.

You may need a referral from the GP to see the consultant privately.

You can then discuss with the consultant the option of having the operation privately and whether the heart issues complicate things.

Private operation may not be possible/desirable however you've got yourself in front of the consultant and your dad will then be on his radar and when he sees that the waiting time has been exceeded will hopefully raise hell at the booking clerks.

I have experience of NHS cock-ups with waiting lists for my dad. (He was a private patient of the consultant but the specific op he needed required NHS hospital.) A combination of the consultant's pressure and my dad's repeated phoning and threatening of the hospital booking clerk eventually sorted it.

Although the 18 week target is there - it can be an extremely slippery thing to tie down - it may be 18 weeks from first hospital appointment rather than referral. They will also reset the clock if you say that you can't come on a particular day.

Lots of mistakes were made by the staff dealing with booking - wrong dates - incorrectly stated that my dad had refused a particular date etc.

You need to put it in writing that he will accept a last minute appointment and then request written confirmation of this.

I am sure that most people will not realise that you can improve the situation but it takes some £ for a private consultation and a real determination to keep on and on and on at the hospital threatening all sorts.

Good luck!

god thanks everyone

you are all so wise and clued up.
yes we think there might have been a bit of " oh you knwo best" from my dad
he got a letter before xmas saying he was OFF hte list, we challenged him and he said" oh no they told me i am now"
he IS now.

grr
ok will read htis later in ingest better

thanks a lto - you are great.

18 week target is from date of referral, not first clinic appointment, I'm pretty sure - have a look at the DH website. The point is the whole episode of care including any investigations and outpatient appointments and treatment/procedures should all be within the 18 week target.

Problem is finding out whether your Dad is on the ruddy list, when he was put back on it etc. etc. etc.