MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Apologies for the length, but this is a tale of woe and I'd really appreciate some advice.
My sister is currently waiting for an NHS operation on her foot to try and resolve a condition that's seen her spend the last three years struggling to get around on crutches. She's 31 and prior to developing this condition led a full and active life, but now spends most evenings and weekends zoned out on strong painkillers. She's just about managing to do her job - she works for a charity, and feels incredibly indebted to them, as they've been very understanding throughout - but its a real struggle, as half her time is spent out of the office in the community.
She's had two operations in the last three years, both of which she went private for as she felt the indicated waiting times the NHS gave her were too long to do nothing, but neither operation worked and she's now several thousand quid down and simply can't afford to do it again. BUPA basically said hard luck, there's no guarantee etc, which has been pretty hard for her to take.
Now she's on the waiting list to have another op done on the NHS and was delighted to get a cancellation come up next week. However, she went to see the surgeon the other day for a pre-op exam in which he told her that he felt he was too inexperienced to do it and she'd need to see another surgeon, and to cap it all left her in considerable pain following the exam. The surgeon she's been told she needs to see has no appointments until later in the year.
She's a naturally cheerful, positive person but all this time spent waiting, in pain, with setbacks like this week's, and unable to carry on with her life is getting her down to the point I'm concerned about her mental wellbeing. She's fully aware of the challenges facing the NHS, doesn't expect to have immediate appointments or anything, and everyone she's dealt with has been as helpful as they possibly can, but she's at her wit's end and needs somewhere to turn.
To me, its seems outrageous that a private operator can take her money twice and leave her no better off, but I don't have any experience in this sort of thing. No doubt this is a common scenario, but I can't help but feel there should be someone, somewhere she can speak to who can help - the NHS trust, her MP, the Citizens Advice Bureau, someone like that?
I know there's a fair few people on here work in medicine - is she just condemned to a long wait and hoping when she gets an operation it finally works, or is there something she should be doing?
Thanks folks.
1. Medical procedures cannot be guaranteed to work;
2. Find another consultant from a different area of the country with a shorter waiting list.
Good luck
Hi
As regards the private ops not working. I think unless the surgeon obviously botched it then there really is no comeback.
As for the NHS making a fuss might get you seen quicker. Doing research yourself on surgeons with the expertise and asking your GP to refer you to them might speed things up.
Discuss with GP in the light of the recent discussions with a surgeon and see what they suggest?
Thanks guys.
How do you actually go about getting a different consultant from the one your GP refers you to, finding out waiting times etc? Is there a publicly-available register of consultants and specialities etc? I genuinely have no idea.
The basic premise is simple as I understand it - you have the right to choice, so if you can't get the service you need, go back and ask to be referred elsewhere. Ironically, she'll probably end up back at a BUPA hospital though as they have a shorter "turn round time" 🙄
Gp should be first point of call - he may be able to refer specifically to another surgeon. Alot of referrals go into a centralised sort of process in each department so often dont get seen by the person who the the referral is addressed to, hence requirement for Gp, ask them if they can refer specifically to a certain consultant. Referring out of area is rarely really possible in my experience because of finances but its worth asking about.
Unfortunately what you are finding is that whilst the NHS is brilliant for acute medical and surgical problems - its not so good for chronic musculoskeletal problems, largely I suspect because people rarely die from them.
Where are you?
If in Scotland, there are certain hospitals which are used specifically to reduce waiting lists, but some trusts seem unwilling to use them. If relevant, you could try for a referral there - Golden Jubilee on on the west coast, Stracathro on the east. There are probably similar setups in england, but I've no idea what theya re
More specifically look here
http://www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk/
She should go and see her GP again and ask about choose and book, and her options on which hospitals she can go to. I think it was actually good that the Dr she saw said he didn't have the experience to carry out the op.
[i]If in Scotland, there are certain hospitals which are used specifically to reduce waiting lists, but some trusts seem unwilling to use them. If relevant, you could try for a referral there - Golden Jubilee on on the west coast, Stracathro on the east. There are probably similar setups in england, but I've no idea what theya re [i]
My wife is an Othopaedic Surgeon and she has always said avoid these overspill/fast treatments centres (run by the private sector on behalf of NHS). She has worked at a number of NHS hospitals which are located close to these centres, and what they find is that they are continually having to take cases where ops have been done badly, or have gone wrong at one of the centres.
As to the BUPA opps not being succesful, no one can guarantee an outcome. However has she gone back to see both consultants concerned who did the operations to get their view on what the next step is? Is basically the out come now that surgery will not improve things? Speak to their secretary and see what they say. Also why not ask the GP to refer you to one of their NHS clinics?
I may not be liked for saying this but this gets my goat. Things havn't gone right for your sister and i'm sorry to hear that but theres the good old NHS ready to pick up the pieces. Shes paid and is in more of a state now than had she not paid and waited to go through the NHS.
This is the same as a lady at work who's son went private for an op on his hand. After 2 private ones, they're now back with the NHS grumbling saying oh we've had to wait and his new op hasn't worked fully, yet they're trying to make good a bad situation.
As for talking to someone to on how to put things right, i'm sure she signed a consent form prior to the op saying that it may or may not go right. I had carpal tunnel release op about 10 weeks ago i had all the advantages and disadvantages explained to me prior to the op. I know other people who've had the op and its gone wrong but i still made the decision to have it. Lucky for me it worked.
As for the NHS surgeon who said he felt he was too inexperienced to do it, good for him for saying that. He may of been able to perform the op had the other 2 ops not been done before? At least he didn't want to risk damaging her foot anymore than it already is, just to get her through and off the waiting list.
Get her to go to her GP. I got a choice of hospitals and went for the one with the shortest waiting time. My wife had the same, choice of 4 hospitals to be refered to.
I hope that it all works out for your sister. Try and spend time with her and keep her mind off this as much as you can. It will be hard over the next few months while she waits to be seen but i wish you and her all the best.
Hope she recovers Op.
[i]My wife is an Othopaedic Surgeon and she has always said avoid these overspill/fast treatments centres (run by the private sector on behalf of NHS). [/i]
sorry, but that's bollocks. Stracathro's "overspill facility" was run by the private sector (in an NHS hospital running an out of hours facility), but is now back in NHS hands and the surgeons operating there when it was run by the private sector were NHS surgeons. Golden Jubilee was NHS almost from the start.