how urgent is urgent

[Chrissca71]

how long did people have to wait for an angiogram if it was marked as urgent, i was only told a few weeks ago i needed to have one as i have angina and just interested to know how long people had to wait

[10gingercats]

If the time seems unduely long to you then try to get on the depts cancellation list. Most depts have them.I find them very useful .Obviously this may not work for you if you are many miles from the hospital .

[Chrissca71 in reply to 10gingercats]

Hi thanks for the reply i have not been waiting long and willing to wait a bit longer then may do as you suggest and try and find out if they have a cancellation list

[Griff-64]

I would agree with 10gingercats, try and get on the cancellation list if you think it's urgent.Everything within the NHS is so far behind, it's not possible to even estimate how long it will take.

Here in Exeter, the RD&E hospital sent out letters a few weeks ago to inform people that there's no chance atm till they've caught up a bit.

Covid is on the increase again so it could get worse.

What a sad state of affairs 😕

[ChoochSiesta]

My angiogram consultant sent a letter in October to my surgeon saying I needed an urgent bypass. It took until February 4 to do it. That was after he suggested leaving it altogether until May!

[Hidden]

I'm sure waiting times it will vary between Hospital Trusts and the hospital where you are to have it done. Try contacting the medical secretaries of the cardio department you are dealing with and they may be able to help. Alternatively talk to 'appointments'.

[RufusScamp]

That's a bit "how long is a piece of string," I'm afraid. All regions are under a lot of stress at the moment.The cancellation list is a good idea. I had an op scheduled for January brought forward to October because of a cancellation. In January, it would have been delayed by a local COVID surge.

[Babsben]

Hi, back in 2020 my original wait was within 3 weeks of my letter but then I got covid so had to wait a little longer. I did have to phone a few times. Think my wait was 6/7 weeks.

[Hidden]

Hi, I'm waiting for an angiogram too. I got a lettter which said there are 4 levels. Level1 is within 24/48 hours; 2 is up to 4 weeks;3 is up to twelve weeks and 4, no specific time. The consultant decides what level you are on. The letter also says covid can put things back. If you haven't been given a date it could be good news about your health. Hope this is of some help.

[Deserrol]

I got mine within a week. I suspect that, unfortunately, it depends on which NHS trust you are with.

[Cruise1]

I too had urgent referral. Hospital couldn't give me a timescale or put me on cancellation list so I opted to go private and ended up with 2 stents. Luckily I was in a financial position to do this. Even so Covid restrictions delayed things slightly. The NHS appointment came through a year to the date of my original referral.

[Larkswood]

Hi it took three weeks for me having an angiogram and I’ve had to wait six months to get the results from my doctor who I have an appointment with today which I find disgusting I have been phoning for cancellation but got no where so I will see what happens today from Stockport NHSI was frightened about having the angiogram done but honestly I didn’t feel a thing they did give me some sedation which relaxed me but every one was really lovely and helpful take care and hope all goes well

[Mangojamontoast]

It is tough being in limbo - try not to worry too much, but I too went through the angst of just wanting to get it over with so could then work on making sure it doesn't happen again, especially as they had told me not to exert myself at all (hard with a six year old!!).I was told (in north London) that the angiogram 'should be within six weeks of the referral but could take up to eight', though the referral was only made 2 weeks after my CT scan (after angina symptoms). I did keep in touch with the cardiac team with questions twice a week or so, and not sure if that 'helped' or not but in the end my angiogram was ' only' 4 weeks after the referral.

So do ask your cardiac nurse / team how long they think it will be and don't worry about asking them about anything, certainly mine were very kind and didn't dismiss anything I asked...I didn't bug them constantly though!

The physiological impacts are huge of having a heart diagnosis, and they can give us drugs but the hand holding isn't always there / it's a postcode lottery- so a virtual hug for that, and talk to friends - it's amazing how many friends-of-friends I've discovered who've been down the same road.

[Hidden]

Urgent is different with each trust but also urgent in line with the condition. It also depends on external issues such as people being brought in from A and E etc. I was marked urgent and mine was cancelled on the day the first time due to the day ward needing to be turned into an overnight stay ward because so many patients had had to be admitted over the weekend.It may be worth ringing the department administration and saying you will accept a cancellation. My first date was allocated this way as a patient had tested Covid positive.