18 week target treatment time...

[Midgeymoo17]

I was told today by the waiting list manager that Adult Congenital Heart Patients are exempt from the NHS treatment time target. Please tell me this is complete rubbish? Please tell me what she actually means is that due to difficulties with the service is we rarely meet the target rather than congenital heart patients are explicitly exempt. PS. It is not that relevant at this point as I have now waited 32 weeks but still found it rather discriminatory.

[Hidden]

Hi there - sorry about the information you've been given, it must be quite frustrating. Adult congenital heart disease patients aren't exempt from the 18 week target if they're on the waiting list for surgery or for the cardiac catheter lab, so if that's the case they should still be meeting the time frame.

Sometimes you might be classified as under 'active monitoring', which means while they're arranging and considering tests they haven't actually listed you and therefore you won't have started on the 18 week target countdown.

If you have any concerns you'd like to flag you can always speak to someone at the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) who will usually have an office/reps based at each hospital. nhs.uk/chq/pages/1082.aspx?...

I hope this helps.

Take care,

Chris

[Midgeymoo17 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you . That was how I thought it was. I am actually exempt from the 18 week target as I requested to wait till the end of the university year nullifying my right to treatment in 18 weeks. But did find the concept that the team were not actually repoting their breaches a total disgrace. Wait list manager tried to justify it by pointing out that they can not outsource meaning options to reach the target are difficult and patients no choice but to wait and the lists are one every two weeks. This however did not really explain why she thought they were exempt.

I was never on an active monitoring clock the decision to operate had been firmly taken and me added to the list in November. In fact subject to no cancellations I will be done in July/ August after a mamouth 35 weeks and having had no tests since June of 2017.

Thanks for you help though. I did report the incident combined with the breach of NHS Englands definition of a reasonable date offer.