I see reading the news on my phone this morning that having analysed NHS data, BHF say that 346,129 people were waiting for time sensitive heart treatment at the end of August 2022, up 49% from the start of the pandemic. Also approx 7500 were waiting over a year for a procedure, 267 times higher than before the same time. A procedure could be anything from an ablation to an echocardiogram I guess with lots in between.
No further comment needed.
Yes, feeling very lucky that my ablation isn’t far off 🤞We have an electronic system for patient letters, and I got quite worried when I saw the heading on one, before I opened it.
It said ‘TTG Breach’ -so I thought I had done something wrong! Although I had been told 6-12 months to the ablation, there’s a Scottish Government goal of 12 weeks. So the letter apologised that the ‘Time to Treatment Guarantee’ had been breached.
Phew, not me!
Whilst the Pandemic made things worse, the numbers of people waiting for routine operations and procedures in England has gone up every year since 2009. From around 2.5m to 4.3m pre-pandemic. You get what you vote for.
This isn't a politics forum its an AF forum.
Makes me feel blessed to have had 2 ablations during this time -April 2021 and March 2022. I began my AF journey December 2019.
my husband had angina and was put on the list for stents in June 2022. At that time the NHS was saying there would be N 18 week waiting list.
We had a phone call on October 11th explaining they were opening up the cath labs on Sundays to reduce the waiting list. Great news and he was offered his proceedure for October 30th.
This was last Sunday. He went in expecting a relatively quick and simple single stent implantation. Three hours and FIVE stents later he emerged from the cath lab. He was shocked to say the least.
He was literally a massive heart attack waiting to happen, with two major vessels 95-98% blocked.
It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realise how fatal futber delays could have been for him.
I can only applaud the medical staff at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield for their initiative and willingness to work at the weekends to try and reduce what is ironically called an elective procedure.
Time sensitive indeed.
Totally agree Maggi. The staff work tirelessly in difficult circumstances .
Thank heavens for such a timely intervention. I wish your husband and speedy recovery.
On a positive note I am having my Echocardiogram a week Sunday at 9.30 so at least they are trying to clear the backlog. I was put down for one on 11th August , so 12 weeks, I guess that is lucky compared to some of the stories we are hearing!
Sounds about average but sadly there is a huge post code lottery. I was called for my pacemaker approx two months after agreement for it but due to other commitiments I delayed a further month.
Even follow up appointments are way out. I should have been seen six months after first visit with my EP now 18 months later and still waiting……….
It’s been awful. I had an appointment at the Arrhythmia clinic in January 2021 but the second wave hit and all the staff were redeployed to the Covid wards and I lost that appointment. The waiting times for scans and tests have been ridiculous and you can’t get a follow up until the tests have been done. I was referred because of my constant ectopics and since then I’ve developed AFib. My GP managed to get the Arrhythmia clinic to see me in December, a year after my first AF episode. I am also a haematology patient but the disruption to haematology services has been nothing like what’s been happening with cardiology.
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New to Forums and New to AF, and totally fed up
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