Orthotics Chaos is down to NHS re-shuffle!

[Blu]

I have got to the bottom of the orthotics chaos that has caused us to tear our hair out all summer, and DS to have no sandals, shoes with holes, no splint that fits, etc etc.

Since April, the service has been diconnected from the NHS Trust Hospital and divested to a local 'externalised' structure. The orthotist is now employed by this other body - but obliged to use differnt bought-in suppliers instead of their own workshop. Orders take forever to arrive, splints not built to such high standards etc etc. AND (as I discovered today) although the hospital prescribes and oversees his treatment, the service is no longer 'reachable' by PALS - the Patient Advisory and Liaison Service. Furthermore, even though the orthopaedic consultant treats people from beyond the borough boundary, she can no longer arrange orthotics for her patients through the service unless people live in one of two boroughs - and they are having to say thaey can't take patients who will need orthotics unless they are from one of these two boroughs. They are a regional orthopaedic trauma centre!!!!

Mad mad mad.

You don't have to say anyting, I'm just sounding off about NHS labyrinthine inefficency! I will be writing to them!

Ah, well that explains a few things.......thanks Blu. I was told DD couldn't have new support shoes in March as the physio wasn't "allowed" to order until April. Then there was a "bit of a delay"!

Reiver - I should have made it clear that (afaik) this just applies to our area - although a lot of orthotics services are 'farmed out'. But maybe you are in the same area? Our consultant is at King's.
I think that things do become 'unavailable' in the last month of the financial year, though!

Grrrrr!

No, we are miles away from you but I think there's been some sort of re-shuffle up here too as the "service-provider" (wonderful term that!) has changed.

Same here, from about spring this year we no longer could order our boots from the physio and had to go through orthotics dept.
There is a 3 month waiting list to see one and when DD finally got her shoes she had gone up 2 sizes and we,d had to buy trainers for her, oh and to top it all the receptionist is in the middle of a sex change and DH and DS go hysterical whenever we go there, which isnt very nice but its maybe not the ideal job to place a person in especially where there are kids and SN kids a lot and if they are like DS go "that womans got a beard".
So, no i wish it was still with physio.

Hmmm. This is interesting - and presents quite a widespread picture. I womder why one NHS foundation trust hospital would change when the results from other 'out-sourcings' around the country are so dismal?
Hmmmm