Beat that.....if you can!

[Jollies]

Would be interested to know what is the longest time anyone has had to wait for an appointment to see their consultant?

I had a cardioversion in August 2017 , it failed and was due to have a review with my ep to discuss the way forward.

I have waited and waited. Phoned in April a few times, got a call back in May. My appointment was due to be in January 2018 but there is a bit of a delay but shouldn't be long.

Still waiting so decided to phone today. Eventually got through to the appointments team, it seems the waiting list for a review appointment is now 15 months. Not 15 months since last August but 15 months since January, so roll on April 2019!

[Vonnieruth]

That's awful Phone hospital and ask to speak to your consultants secretary Sounds like a slip up there

[Jollies in reply to Vonnieruth]

Unfortunately no slip up, just life in Northerrn Ireland!

[Vonnieruth in reply to Jollies]

I would still phone secretary up

[Jollies in reply to Vonnieruth]

I may just try for cancellations, Summer and Christmas holidays are good for that!

[Vonnieruth in reply to Jollies]

Yer might be better

[jennydog in reply to Jollies]

Wales isn't much better. The Liverpool Hospitals put the Welsh ones to shame!

11months wait to see Orthopedics, 36 weeks wait to see Neurologists. No response when you leave a phone message. MP & Assembly Member on the case - I'm not sure what they can do but I have made them aware of the problems.

PS. The Regional Hospital has a new caterer who has decided that sandwiches should all be made of unbuttered bread. My ham sandwich was 2 slices of dry whole meal bread encasing a sheet of bright pink plastic mush. It went straight into the bin.

The sad thing is that no one does anything about things that are wrong.

[Jollies in reply to jennydog]

I have been in touch with my MLA who is the health spokesperson and made it clear I don't want to complain about consultant but about the nhs, but as Stormont isn't sitting and things aren't actually improving it is as much use as a chocolate teapot x

[jennydog in reply to Jollies]

My MP & AM both have offices with clerical support so things progress, after a fashion, during holiday periods. I understand about Stormont but if they are being paid then they should be able to deal with constituents' problems.

[CDreamer]

I know N Ireland is particularly poorly catered for. Is there anyway you could get to see someone at the Liverpool Chest Hospital?

I know our list locally is 18 weeks + but if you think that bad - try getting to see a neurologist! I had an urgent referral ie I should have been seen within days - that was 20 weeks before I was offered an appointment and not with the specialist I wanted. I am now supposed to be seen every six months - my last appointment was June 2017 and I haven’t been offered anything yet for the Dec 2017 one.........

All I can say is thank goodness we have these forums as I think I would have lost the will to live ............

[Jollies in reply to CDreamer]

I was at Papworth before I moved and sometimes think I should of stayed there. Am currently in the great waiting list for an initial appointment for the respiratory clinic too, can't even hazard a guess at when that will be.

[Finvola]

Jollies - it was like that four years ago when I was referred from Altnagelvin to Royal Victoria - 15 month wait.

One thing you could try via your GP is an EU referral to, say the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin. Prof David Keane is the lead EP there, I think. The service is free within the EU (😩😩😩😩😩) and is widely used in my local private hospital by Donegal patients facing long waits for referrals to Letterkenny. The EU meets the full cost of treatment, if it is approved. I wrote a post some time ago about it - should be in my profile posts.

IF IF IF we had politicians here, CDreamer’s suggestion would be something they could be asked to push for.

[Jollies in reply to Finvola]

I ignored my gp when he advised me to stay with my consultant in England when I moved here. The benefit of hindsight. Thing is I actually like Dr Lau.

[wilsond]

Good grief! Thats terrible! What about PALE service,might they be able to take a complaint?Maybe contact the relevant medical secretary,they were very helpful to my mum once regard ing my dad's long wait.Best wishes x

[Hidden]

Yes I was much the same time scale with no appointment even being made for me even though I have an Aortic Aneurysm, as well as AF, that needs to be watched so I asked the GP to refer me urgently to a different hospital and I have an appointment 10th August at St Georges.

[P0rtnahapp1e]

Hi Jollies , some years ago, when my heart problems surfaced, my GP advised going privately to a consultant whom he knew. I then spent two years of trying to get appointments at my instigation, (apart from my original meeting I didn’t have another unsolicited one).

As my symptoms got progressively worse I frequently phoned his secretary to plead for help, although often I could barely speak through breathlessness. I left messages on her answering machine, getting increasingly panicky, and eventually actually got to speak to her in person. She apologised, but explained that she took calls for the consultant in an office some miles from the hospital where the consultant was based, so, if she couldn’t elicit a response from him she had to drive to the hospital and physically look for him.

She also admitted that her workload was such that she frequently forgot to deal with messages.

A few days after that conversation I became ill with severe back pains and was taken to our local hospital where pulmonary oedema was diagnosed, dealt with, 14 lbs of fluid removed and everything done with such efficiency and professionalism.

Subsequently I had sepsis, endocarditis and now have been diagnose with HF and dilated cardiomyopathy, all treated with great professionalism by my lovely NHS cardiologist, despite the fact that she has no access to records of any tests performed under the private doctor as they aren’t on the system!

[Jollies in reply to P0rtnahapp1e]

Oh my! Thinking on this my last review with my ep happened in a and e as my gp sent me in as my heart rate was too high and would not settle. Sad that these things have to happen to get us seen. X

[GordonS]

Do you have a PALS service, if so take it up with them, they advocate on your behalf and can often bump you up the list re cancellations etc.