Woman DENIED breast reconstruction after cancer due to funding cuts.

[HelenaDove]

inews.co.uk/news/mum-denied-breast-reconstruction-nhs-cancer-mastectomy-funding-cuts/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=ijp&fbclid=IwAR2SK1n5MW35jGdA4cT9g1XwPA3tw2POnqhW3O3v0Z3Poo8bmjtoLkCI4DM

and some of the comments on the fb page are fucking disgusting misogyny.

Oh how sad after everything she's been through.

I see mysogyny is definitely disappointingly still very much alive,just why, when will it end.
It's disgusting.

this is my local hospital.

Thanks for posting that. I honestly didn't know reconstruction was done on the NHS so it is news to me - I'm glad it is even though this poor woman has been denied it, for now at least. It does seem terribly early to consider a reconstruction only nine months or so after the mastectomy, I always thought there had to be a couple of years in between ops. because the patient is closely monitored for recurrence. A friend of mine had reconstruction but that was several years ago and I'm glad to say she is alive and kicking.

I hope her local hospital are able to offer her the operation in due course (and it goes without saying that I wish her to stay in good health). She looks like a lovely lady.

Jessstan2

There have been a lot of changes in the last many years; while not all women are eligible for immediate reconstruction depending on their treatment plan ie radiation can be a factor, it is more common now (be it with implants, a flap from abdomen etc).

Even 12 years ago my mother had immediate reconstruction after her mastectomies (for BC with lymph node involvement) with a DIEP flap (she had a metastatic recurrence and passed two years ago, but not because she has her reconstruction).

Women needing breast reconstructions after cancer should be the top priority. I wonder why they're evidently not?

Oh that poor woman. I really hope she raises the money.

And to think people complained about not taking priority over cancer patients and accused Drs of killing them.

Reading the reply from the hospital it seems that the surgery hasn't been cancelled due lack of money but rather the CCG has closed the waiting list to out of areas patients because its own local patients are being prioritised.

It's strange that there aren't hospitals in London that she could be referred to - which is where most patients from Queens are sent. Surely there is somewhere offering the surgery?

There was commentary in the press on the extent of 'rationing' last summer. The vast majority of cancer patients are suitable for reconstruction and those who want it usually have it done with no referral issues.

But trusts do have rules - such as type of operation and timeframe within which it must be scheduled.

Governmental planners think local commissioning is a good thing, because it allows regions to align their spending with their local needs. This sort of thing is an example of why it is a policy with very little public support.

Timeframe is also unfair. A woman who moved into our area finally plucked up courage to get hers done 12 years after her mastectomy. She had had such an awful time she couldn't face.more surgery and was so pleased afterwards as our breast surgeons are so lovely and the result was so good.

Reading the reply from the hospital it seems that the surgery hasn't been cancelled due lack of money but rather the CCG has closed the waiting list to out of areas patients because its own local patients are being prioritised.

No, what its says is that her trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust (MEHT) has closed the waiting list for DIEP procedures:

"A spokesperson for the Mid and South Essex CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) said: “We are sorry to hear of the difficulties this patient has experienced with her treatment. “The CCGs of Mid and South Essex continue to fund delayed DIEP reconstructive surgery for patients who had undergone a mastectomy as part of their cancer treatment. “The waiting list for this procedure at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust (MEHT) was growing and as a result patients were waiting too long. Therefore, it was agreed that no more patients would be added to the delayed DIEP waiting list at MEHT."

and that she is not able to be treated at other hospitals performing DIEP because they don't accept out of catchment area patients.

"Returning home dejected, Alison began looking into the possibility of having the procedure done on the NHS at another hospital. But the only other two she could go to were in Norfolk or Oxfordshire, and she would have to be a resident in those catchment areas."

R0wantrees

I am very confused. It says that when she returned to her oncologist at Queens hospital Romford, which is Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust and within Havering CCG, I took that to be her local trust.

It then says that Mid Essex and South Essex CCGS are still funding the surgery but that Broomfield has closed it's list due to long waiting times.

That's what's confused me. I read it as they had closed the list to patients from other trusts.

Usually we are referred to hospitals in London from Queens though so I wonder why the treatment isn't available in London somewhere? We don't have to live in London to be treated there.

This is the problem with not having all specialties in all hospitals though isn't it? It means patients being referred to hospitals that might be miles away from where they live.

Jesus Christ. This is horrific. Who can we write to about getting this ridiculous policy changed? You can’t just close a waiting list to massage your waiting time figures.

What a bizarre method to deal with long waiting lists. Well, I say deal with long waiting lists, but that isn't actually what it does of course - the waiting list is still there (albeit now a crowd of people not officially on the list, but who clearly should be), you just stop looking at it.

Rather like refusing to open your bank statement because you know that you're in your overdraft. Doesn't do anything to help the problem, just putting your head in the sand.

I am very confused. It says that when she returned to her oncologist at Queens hospital Romford, which is Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust and within Havering CCG, I took that to be her local trust.

That's where her oncology team is.
Many people are referred for cancer treatment at larger centres.

(I thought you'd said you had been a nurse?)

It means patients being referred to hospitals that might be miles away from where they live.

I was lucky to only have to travel 20 miles to a specialist Cancer centre, which is an NHS trust in its own right for my radiotherapy, others have to travel far further, or even stay at a hotel Monday to Friday during treatment.

Pythagonal I had a similar distance to travel and all my oncology treatment was in a different NHS trust.

It is very common.

Many people are referred for cancer treatment at larger centres.

Err, do you know Queens hospital? A failing hospital and certainly not a large centre that anyone would want to be referred to.

CCG’s are trying to save money and describing treatments as cosmetic when they are actually reconstructive. This stance has been applied to other reconstructive procedures that don’t only affect woman but it is disgraceful

Women needing breast reconstructions after cancer should be the top priority. I wonder why they're evidently not?

What exactly would you prioritise funding this over? Treating patients with active cancer? A&E services? Mental health services? Treating broken bones? Immunising children?

I don’t think this should be a priority, and I also wouldn’t prioritise extra funding for this kind of treatment over funding schools or police or rubbish collections.

It is a simple fact of life that there are limited funds for public services and I don’t think this is a priority. Whilst i’m sure there is wasted funding which could be reallocated, there are other places i’d reallocate extra money first before this.

Saying it should be a priority is meaningless unless you can say exactly where you’d take the money from.

You can always contribute to her fundraiser if you’d be willing to pay extra tax to fund these kinds of procedures.

CCG’s are trying to save money and describing treatments as cosmetic when they are actually reconstructive. This stance has been applied to other reconstructive procedures that don’t only affect woman but it is disgraceful

I agree.

LAst year there were protests by TRAs that elective mastectomies by transmen were being delayed due to women needing surgery following cancer diagnosis:

September 2018:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3368777-To-think-that-in-the-current-dire-state-of-the-NHS-finances-its-a-no-brainer-that-first-priority-for-mastectomies-goes-to-cancer-patients

The postcode lottery for the NHS has been a problem since the outset but it's becoming more egregious because of the sophistication of treatment that is readily available to some but not others. It's been exacerbated recently by CCGs and their own localised priorities and funding problems.

My cognitive dissonance is that I'm a staunch supporter of the idea of the NHS and think that overall it's a more equitable and relatively affordable health care system than most but I'm horribly aware of the gross disparities that people encounter despite paying comparable amounts into the system.

LAst year there were protests by TRAs that elective mastectomies by transmen were being delayed due to women needing surgery following cancer diagnosis:

Is that why the waiting lists have been closed then? Because of transmen requesting mastectomies?

Yes of course this surgery is important but what should it take priority over? Life saving surgery or treatments?

I have a friend sitting in a hospital bed waiting for a decision about funding for life saving treatment. Why should people like her not be the top priority? Not everyone can be a priority.

The NHS has limited finances and resources and tough decisions have to be made.