So my angiogram appointment finally came round on Thursday . I duly arrived at 10-30 and was told I was on the afternoon list , sorry about that but we like to have everybody in the department first thing . Sat in a chair and had a canula put in . The nurse told myself and the old lady next to me that we’d go up to the lab sometime after one o’clock as we were just quick in and out procedures lasting about 20 minutes and would be seen quickly .
Finally the old lady was collected and went up around 2-30 . I was collected at 3 pm and was put in a bay beside her where I had to change into a gown . Off she went half an hour later and came back in twenty minutes or so . Right I thought , I’m off soon . After an hour and a half with nobody talking to me and a dozen or so staff walking back and forward doing pretty much nothing but talking to each other the senior nurse introduced herself and said sorry but you’ll have to go home we’ve run out of time .
I’d been sat in a chair for over 6 hours anxiously wondering what was going to happen, what they would find etc as I am being prepared for an aortic valve replacement. So I thought well I’ll ask what happens next, oh you’ll get another appointment in the post in a few weeks time . Will I get a morning appointment so I’m not here all day again ? , oh we can’t guarantee that and if more severe cases arrive on the day you could be sent home again and you may well be here all day .
What a shocking system , totally inhumane. Surely it’s not beyond the wit of man to organise things better . I wished the old lady well and she said the same thing had happened to her a few weeks before . Her elderly husband had had to get her to hospital and drive home some distance then return to pick her up . Today was a repeat performance and she’d been worried all day it would happen again.
My wife had to take a day off work and drive 25 miles to get me there, drive back then return again in the evening . Now it all has to happen again and as I say no guarantee it won’t repeat. There’s not just a financial cost , it’s not easy for her to get time off but I still don’t know how my arteries are and now I’m back in worry mode .
As far as I can tell the lab won’t work beyond a certain time , why ? when they know you are sitting there and have been all day
Written by
Hammerboy
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Because of Covid, I had all three preop tests done as an inpatient. That’s so much better. I had my own room. The three tests were done in no time and the nurses asked me if it was ok to have two done in succession.
I was aware that the preops might be in differing hospitals but by going in just once it saved undue hassle. The surgeon was very happy as the results were bang up to date.
My good experience doesn’t help you much, but maybe your next stages will be better.
I am coming up for four years and my fourth annual check up, with two hand held scans to be done. Well what a super revelation was last years check. Seen ten minutes early, a senior nurse walked me to the two scans and then walked me to her room to tell me the results. No waiting weeks for an incomprehensible written reply, results in a couple of minutes.
Just to ground things a little, the written results came to me a couple of weeks later, and no copy to my GP. The GP staff resolved that instantly with apologies.
Finally can I mention that the AVR was fantastic. Genius surgeons and excellent support staff. I have been given my life back.
At the very least that would have been very frustrating for you and you have my sympathy, although I am not surprised at what happened. I suggest you formally complain to the hospital and also talk to the cardio team medical secretary to see if you can be put on the list asap rather than have to wait weeks. You could always put yourself forward for a cancellation, although that may not be convenient for you.
The day mine was due to be done I was in my gown and ready by 9.00am. One by one patients were being wheeled in and out and then there were periods were no one was being wheeled in but patients were being wheeled out.....I remember one had suffered a heart attack at work, one whilst walking the dog...in the end I didn't go in until 5.30 pm and had to spend another night in hospital.
In addition to planned procedures they also have to cope with emergencies, I guess this could be what happened to you.
I'd also say that the surgeon needs to be sharp and alert.....after several hours they and their team will be in need of a break.
I understand emergencies and also sympathise. It’s more that you are left just sitting there with nobody explaining what’s happening. There must be a better system especially if as I was told this happens on a regular basis.
Yes I was told that and obviously they take priority . In my case the man next to me was not well but had been in the bay for over an hour before I arrived . He was going to be kept in as I heard them talking at the station. I could have been in and out in 20 minutes leaving just him to be looked after .
He wasn’t in danger from what I’d heard just a complicated case . In any event I was kept back for about 90 minutes while he was in the lab and the message came through he was going to take a long time so send me home . I’m not demeaning his case just observing I could have been quickly done and off home so not requiring another appointment and he’d still be being looked after . I’m not selfish just practical and felt it could have been thought through more sensibly. After hearing the nurses saying how many times people are sent home after being there all day it makes it a lottery not a system .
It seems to me that’s the way it goes now , it’s the luck of the draw. ✍️ m in touch with people who have been waiting as I am for a new valve . One lady was on the table when they realised they didn’t have the correct valve so sent her home . Can you imagine the distress , another sent home 3 times because emergencies came in . These stories are rife in the NHS , it’s not the frontline staff who are at fault but the usual suspects in most cases . The bureaucrats who run the systems on fat salaries , funnily enough just like the post office. We are just numbers on a spreadsheet .
That's why making a formal complaint is one way of telling the system that something is wrong, and optimistically 'someone' will look into doing things better. I find that I am bombarded with 'how did we do' requests from the NHS every time I visit, and the cynic within me tells me they are looking for plaudits not criticism. I work on the basis that if you don't complain if you have fair and reasonable grounds to do so, nothing will change, although complaining may be counter our British culture. And in this case if every one complained who had been arguably unreasonably inconvenienced, like yourself, that would add weight to the case for change.
I totally agree but they have the perfect excuses now with the backlog and strikes . I still think a better system could be put in place with a bit of thought behind it . Interestingly the level of staffing in the department was more than expected and certainly not overworked, if anything most were lost for anything to do and just wandered up and down the ward talking to each other .
A case of too many nurses not enough experts in the field, if you know what I mean. Sadly more frequent than we're told, it's the knock on effect right down the line for patients when this sort of thing happens.I had a CT angiogram two years ago and was in the department for five hours mainly because they couldn't get my heart rate low enough to do the angiogram till the consultant decided after two lots of medication to take me in and give me the heart slowing injection, nobody before hand had told me this may happen and I had driven myself to the appointment some 20 miles away. I stayed in the department as long as I could after the procedure as I really didn't feel well enough to drive home, and there was nothing in my pre procedure letter to say this may happen. Other patients were seen before me and I understood why, however had I known what could have happened to me I would have asked a friend who could drive my car to accompany me.
Hope next time around things go much smoother for you.
I am surprised you were allowed to drive home after your angiogram. I was told prior to my outpatient angiogram that I would need someone to fetch me after the procedure and not to drive for 24 hours, and it turned out I wasn't allowed to leave the hospital until there was a face to face handover with my wife. And if you are stented as part of the angiogram, which may happen, DVLA rules stipulate you are not allowed to drive for 7 days if the stenting is 'successful'.
I understand your worry and frustration but as other people have said, there will have probably been emetgencies either people coming in after a heart attack and having angiograms and stents fitted, like what happened to me, or even people in the hospital already suddenly needing treatment because their condition suddenly deterorated and they needed to be got into the lab. Hospitals operate on a triage system and more severe cases will always get seen before people who are not in immediate danger as speed is the essence in emergencies involving the heart as the sooner the treatment the less damage done to the heart. Some peoples cases take longer as well due to the complexity of the issues they have. I only had one stent fitted but i think was in there over an hour. Some people need several becuase often they dont know how many blockages there are until.they go in with the catheter and contrast dye.
Yes they shpuld have said what is going on but having been in hospital a lot the past few years through A&E and as a day patient etc, the system is under a lot of pressure even if it sometimes seems they are just bimbling about. Theres lots of ill people and not enough staff, specialists or beds unfortunately.
Very true and understandable but whose to say my situation isn’t urgent , I have no idea what stage I’m at regarding my coronary arteries that’s why they have to check and that’s why I was booked in as urgent. Now I have another 3 week wait as a minimum so I’m told and the same thing could happen next time .
However understanding I am and I am , my life is just as important. It’s the system I’m intolerant of and exacerbated by the way the NHS is managed with all the extra funding it’s been given over many years .
If thats the case ethen doesnt your workplace have a private scheme?
But even with private healthcare its not much different. You will more than likely see the same consultants as they also work for the NHS and appointments can be several weeks and subject to cancellation.
Just before i had my heart attack i went private tbrough the works scheme and id had to wait weeks to have my spinal nerve root block for sciatica, had it cancelled once already, and when it came round I arrived at 10:20 but didnt get the procedure done until gone 3pm.
People tend to think private healthcare is superior but ive had several things done through works Bupa scheme over the past 10 years and ive felt theres a bit too much of a casual attitude towards patients from the consultants and surgeons never mind nurses, more so than what ive experienced in NHS wards.
If you feel you have cause for a complaint contact PALS in your hospital to lodge a formal conplaint as someone else suggested.
I've just seen a private cardiologist as there was no sign of a follow up after my last heart attack in July, got an appointment within a week, she wants me on a 24hr monitor, she got an appointment for that on NHS in 2 weeks time.. times are changing and not for the better
My GP had contacted them as I'm getting a lot of arrhythmias and heart rate dropping to 32bpm. Right after my angiogram in August I was asked if I would take part in a study and would receive a years preferential treatment by my cardiologist. I refused, so there has been no follow up appointment
Maybe you need to speak to your GP sgsin or the Coronary Care Unit or cardio nurse and ask for another follow up if you feel you actually need it. It tends to be the case if theyve got nothing booked in and its been quiet from you for weeks or even months they kind of figure no news is good news so will leave it as it is. I.e. not contact you as they assume you are alright or dont want further treatment.
Hi, I can empathise with the frustration, there is always the need for better communication....however, I have been in a similar position and been the person probably responsible for the 'bumping' of the appointment cases.
I was blue lighted in with a major STEMI heart attack, and needed to go to the cath lab, the moment I arrived, had I not, I wouldn't be writing this!
I needed additional stents the following day. I like you (although I was in the ward) waited all day and was repeatedly bumped throughout the day, by emergencies and another major STEMI, a lady who collapsed in the supermarket. I waited until the following afternoon to have the further life saving treatment - 5 stents into my LAD artery (98% blocked, so 7 in total!)
They'll always triage the most urgent cases, we know this, they have to, yes better communication helps & seeing nurses apparently wandering about not seeming to be doing much is difficult to see or understand.
So yes I can empathise, complaining may help the hierarchy understand better from the patients point of view, maybe not, we all make our own choices, me, I'm just pleased to still be here.
I totally empathise with your situation and genuinely understand why more serious cases must take precedence. I think my angst was mainly down to being told my case could be dealt with quickly so easily fitted in . It seemed to me that while the gentleman next to me was more serious he’d been being looked after for a good amount of time while the lab was empty and I could have been in and out before he had to go in . Obviously I’m not privy to the decision making and so am guessing as to the reasoning .
I hope your on the mend now and wish you all the best 👍
I have had my angio and bypass done privately as I work for a private health care company, by going through the private healthcare system you are actually saving the NHS both time and money, and yes it is usually quicker and the consultants also mostly work in the NHS. But they work for the NHS and do there private work outside of there time in the NHS. They work incredibly hard and from my experience they are workaholics
I would have told my GP that rather than jumping the queue, on the contrary I was actually helping the NHS queue by taking myself out of it. And its not the business of GPs to tell us how to spend our money when health choices exist as they do.
I am so sorry to hear of your awful experience. You don’t mention where this happened. I am a heart patient of LHCH Broadgreen since 2018 and because of my situation I have required 5 visits over time. Each time I have arrived and been treated on time on the day. Only once did I have a 3 hour delay because of several Blue Light arrivals which can occur randomly.
I don’t know what opportunities there are for you to go elsewhere but I was shocked to hear your experience. That facility should look at itself and say this doesn’t happen elsewhere. That is hard to say when it almost certainly staffed by dedicated, caring and skilled people. I hope you next experience is very much better. David
You only waited a few hours and then got to home , I wish that happened to me.I had to wait 2.5 weeks in one hospital till they got me into another one all for a 25 minute angiram, there was about 8 of us in fact that waited like this from that one hospital.
I was also first in that hospital but the last one that got moved to the next hospital......
That’s shocking, I guess it depends on your general heart health . I’m only just feeling symptoms of breathlessness but my valve measurements suggest I’m on the cusp of severe stenosis. As the nurse said on Thursday I’m being worked up in preparation for surgery and the angiogram is to look at my coronary arteries so my case can be reviewed at Papworth .
I have no idea the state of those arteries although I’ve been statins for 18 months and my cholesterol is 3.7 with LDL at 1.89.I guess I’d just like to be reassured it’s only the valve I have to be concerned about but any delay in the angiogram just adds to the overall worry.
I think we know the NHS is a very inefficient and bureaucratic organisation. It needs to be fundamentally remodeled but then everyone starts shouting about privatisation.
There’s a role for both but it’s a money pit that too many take advantage of . We simply can’t afford to keep shelling out huge sums to pay penpushers and diversity managers when we need frontline staff and equipment plus upgrading old buildings in need of repair . New hospitals are also required to cope with an increasing population and more elderly patients. Technology improvements mean more expensive drugs and don’t those companies love stiffing the NHS .
Nobody wants to pay higher taxes to cover it so it’s obvious the only way forward is looking at where the money is spent and who decides that, shock horror it’s the pen pushers and managers .
Its also ourselves. The British are the most obese in Europe, take the most drugs. are well up there in the Drink stakes and are generally unfit. That cocktail puts an enormous strain on the NHS , add to that the pen pushers, general inefficiencies that come from the structure of the organisation, limited private insurance and an expectation that no matter what you want it should be free .
Sorry to hear about your stressful day....and we are told stress is not the good for the heart! I would definitely report this to PALS....that's what they are there for. We know about the NHS at this present time...the delays, cancellations of appointments etc....then the delays and cancellations as you have experienced when you are actually at the hospital. Emergencies happen and of course we would all want for those people to be seen first or attended to but the experience that you have been through does seem to be more and more common place now. It is frustrating, upsetting and worrying and then you have added concerns of when will you get the next appointment. I really hope this happens soon for you knowing how you feel having been through 9 months of delays myself. I've had my OH surgery now but the cancellations and waiting was an extremely upsetting time....all the best and fingers crossed for you. X
Sorry you had such a bad experience. When I had a STEMI HA, I was blue lighted and was taken straight into the lab. I was what the staff called a "primary" (Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). While on the ward afterward, I met others who had NSTEMI heart attacks that needed stents but had been waiting for weeks for a lab slot. It seemed that the system was that they booked outpatient appointments like yours throughout the day and had gaps between them, allowing flexibility to move people around to deal with "primarys" as and when they came in. Any spare capacity was then used to deal with inpatients waiting on the wards. Primarys trumped everything and were obviously totally random in terms of when and how many you might have in a day. The people waiting on the ward had no idea when they might get a slot. They would literally walk onto the ward, tell someone they had a slot and take them immediately to lab. One chap was over the moon when they came for him, only to be wheeled back in 20 minutes later as a primary had come in and taken his slot. I was surprised that they told you they had run out of time. Surely primarys need dealing with 24 hours a day? (unless they have another lab that takes them out of hours I guess). Best wishes for next time though, hope it all works out for you.
Thank you , the nurses say it happens every day more or less. They have almost a scripted speech which starts with unfortunately and ends with sorry and thanks for understanding. I don’t blame them but like everything you become immune after a while and they move on to the next number on the list . We cease to be people just numbers and beds , I’m sure they are genuinely sorry but we are forgotten as soon as we vacate the bay .
I've said this for years the NHS doesnt need more money, it needs to be bloody run right, totally inefficient, bloated and corrupt, if it were a private business heads would have rolled years ago, its just a cash cow, i hope more people start to realise this. i hope you get better treatment next time, i had an CT angiogram done last year and it was quick and one cancellation at the last minute as the new machine ad broken down, but on the day i was seen on time.
Unfortunately this seems to be a fairly regular occurrence. I was admitted to hospital after being seen in the rapid chest pain clinic. Moved from one hospital to another because I needed an angiogram and was told it would be the next morning. The hospital I was transferred to is a major trauma centre so patients are air ambulanced from a wide area. My procedure was cancelled because of emergency admissions. I was told I was too unwell to go home and needed to be under observation and on heart monitors. I eventually had the angiogram 6 days later. It was cancelled 5 times. I think I only got it on day 6 because my daughter is a nurse and knew the cardiologist. We were desperately worried at this stage so she went and spoke to him. Turned out I needed an urgent triple bypass.
I know it's difficult when you are unwell and anxious but you must kick up a fuss. I accept that urgent cases take priority but you also need your procedure.
I was scheduled for priority angioplasty, prepared and cancelled with the procedure done the following morning at 08:00. That was due to blue light emergencies (4 I was told). I was also told that the Cat Lab teams work 08:00 to 17:00, a 9 hour day.
Despite procedures being scheduled to last an hour each mine took exactly two hours so it is likely someone scheduled for later in the day was cancelled as a result.
For various reasons I’ve ended up with 2xPCI, AVR and CABG.
I’m sorry but your post comes across to me as selfish and potentially ill informed.
However I will agree with comments about too many chiefs and too few Indians, the NHS is a bloated organisation.
Thanks for the observation , I won’t defend myself because worrying about your own situation isn’t selfish it’s natural . As for being ill Informed I can only speak as I find but you’re entitled to your opinion as I am
I was in hospital waiting 8 days for my angiogram, even within the cardiac ward you are prioritised , on who will go to the lab. On the planned day I was transferred over to the other hospital block across town where the Cath lab was, waited all day to be told sorry, we will bring you back tomorrow , as they had a couple of blue lights turn up, one of who unfortunately didnt make it in the end. I transferred over next day , had my angiogram, which was clear thankfully , it confirmed was likely to be periomyocarditis, and was discharged from hospital the day after to then wait for over a month for a cardiac MRI. In someways I'm extremely thankful that they thought I wasn't a priority case and could wait a bit longer. All the time I was waiting for my angiogram I was informed where I was in the queue and the probability I could be 'bumped' by more urgent cases.
Hi I really don't want to add to your woes but this is how the NHS works now and unfortunately that goes for AVR operations to should someone in bigger need arrive they will be operated on 1st discouraging as it is.
Hammerboy that must have been frustrating and also alarming.
There are no excuses for the lack of communication, but another perspective to consider is my experience.
I was an urgent case but not a blue light. I was also told I would be in and out in 20 minutes but that was not to be. My procedure, which was the insertion of a stent for my LAD, became complicated. The image from the angiogram was described as deceptive by the surgeon doing the operation. It took him over an hour to complete what should have been a 20 minutes procedure so I took up three procedures worth of time.
It is more than frustrating to get so close to your own operation and be sent home, but until the surgeon begins they don’t know everything about what they will find.
I wish you a speedy resolution and good health in the future.
When my husband had his heart attack he had to stay in hospital until he had his angiogram and stents fitted. He ended up being in there for 8 days til they could fit him in. The first 37 hours of this was in a&e because there were no beds on the wards. It was very frustrating as we were constantly worried he’d have another ha whilst waiting, but also if they could have moved him through the system quicker there wouldn’t be such a backlog due to lack of beds.
Sorry to hear about your experience, sounds completely unacceptable. I was actually speaking to a cardiologist last week in a private hospital and he slated the way the NHS seems to manage angiograms. He used a few expletives!
Its ok for a private xonsultabt tonslate rhe NHalS becuase youll find theybalso do NHS workmaafter hours and weekends and get paid thousands for it. Some of them.are part of the problem too.
My wife works in the eye department and they have eye consultants who refuse to work on a Friday afternoon but will happily come in for a Saturday morning for £4000.
They often do NHS cases during the day, then go over to a.private hospital for a few hours in the evening too. So they can hardly be critical when they are milking both systems for all theyre worth.
When i had to have my gall bladder out i went through the works BUPA scheme and saw the consultant at the Nuffield and he said I could get a operation sooner theough the NHS at that time (2005). So a week later i go to the NHS hospital for my operation and who is there to do my operation but the same consultant i saw at the private clinic.
This is terrible, and it's down to the state of the NHS these days you shouldn't be treated like that especially as a heart patient. I've had some treatment recently that caused me extreme anxiety and its just not on, I got an apology from a senior member of staff who woke me at 2am in the morning to do so. Its just not on feel for u xx
What a terrible experience! I know exactly what you mean about the staff chatting etc. I was admitted to A and E not so long ago. I experienced nurses and doctors dancing and singing around the central desk. Another nurse came and apologised it was 3 in the morning. She had tried to report the behaviour as it wasn’t the first time it had happened but no action was taken and she was now in a very difficult position. Good luck with your next appointment.
Totally understand what you’re saying. These things might be every day occurrences to the nurses and doctors, but to the stressed out patient it is so much worse, and I’m sure hospital staff would be equally frustrated if they were put in that position. I really do hope you hear something in 2 or 3 weeks. In my situation, I was admitted to A&E with newly diagnosed afib. I was kept in overnight and when the consultant came to speak to me, she said I was being referred for all the usual tests and would probably hear in 3 to 4 weeks. She did seem to be laughing when she said this ! 3 months later and having heard nothing, I called to check situation. It turned out my referral hadn’t been put through properly, although they could see notes on my records. A lovely nurse was very apologetic , said she was really glad I’d called and that she’d get me booked in urgently. 3 weeks later and still no appointment letter. Called hospital again to be told my referral has now gone through and is routine, not urgent. I asked if this meant I was back at bottom of list . Was told no it didn’t mean that but I have my doubts ! And I totally agree with you that being concerned about your own situation is totally natural and definitely not selfish. We are all well aware that there are always people much worse off than we are.
I’m so sorry to hear of your situation, it’s simply not acceptable to treat people like this but with the numbers involved and the level of mismanagement from both the NHS and government added to the Covid backlog it’s not surprising we are in this state. I too was diagnosed with AF in 2017 and have had 2 catheter ablations which although significantly improving my QOL I still have episodes which add to the burden of having a stenosed bicuspid aortic valve needing surgery . I know I’m not alone but now we are in a lottery depending on the hospital we have to use . I feel for the staff too who do a difficult job in trying circumstances but that doesn’t take away the frustration.
I completely understand how frustrating it all is. I've had 2 ct angiograms now, one where I had to sit and wait and the other where I was kept in hospital as an inpatient. I think it depends what hospital you are in as to what your experience is. As for driving after it I was advised I would not be allowed out of the hospital without someone collecting me. I was actually walked to the car by a nurse. To hear there seemed to be a lot of nurses in your clinic who actually had time to chat to eachother is unheard of!!! Mine were absolutely run off their feet!! Hospitals have different protocols for lab hours , some shutting early and some later. Again it depends on the hospital. Its not that they don't care, they are only allowed to do a certain number if procedures a day, and if one takes longer or an emergency comes in then that has a knock on effect on patients waiting. I have been that emergency and I cannot tell you how incredibly grateful I am to the NHS for the action they took. I was stented twice and unfortunately both stents collapsed and so I had to have a double cabg. I'm afraid I was too poorly to think of anyone who would not be seen because of me being given priority. I didn't want to be that emergency! I wanted to be the person being sent home to be given an appointment at a later date. They don't send you home unless you are deemed fit enough.Things are the way they are across the country and its not perfect but that's the way it is.
If I had a choice I would have chose to be sent home and be given another date, not to have a 7 hour open heart operation.
I wish you luck with your health and hope any news is good news.
Please,if you can, try to understand that staff DO know you are waiting and that you being sent home is not personal! It's about other people who's needs were deemed greater than yours, and who's health was poorly
I do understand and I was perfectly polite and civil when being told . I think a lot of the way I’m feeling is after strewing on it in the days after before by sent home Working in senior management in the private sector most of my life I find it incredible that the systems aren’t better and the money used more efficiently in the NHS . Maybe it should have some sort of privatisation to get it working better but I know that comes with the danger of two tier healthcare and self interest
Very sad and tiring day..pretty disgusting lack of communication..even if they are busy ..they are the ones that schedule these appointments and they should be kept..even if they must prolong their day by another 30 minutes..after all you just wasted your whole day..and cannot even be told when you can come to have it done..so you will be worrying till then...inconsiderate too...yes they are busy..but please complete the day's work as was planned...
I'm still waiting to hear from the hospital for an appointment for my angiogram. It's closing in on 2 weeks since I was told that I'm at an intermediate to high risk for HA after I had my diagnostic treadmill stress test. I'm Canadian so it seems the problem isn't restricted to the UK.
I had to be there by 8.30am. They start doing angiograms at 9am. I was concerned it could be delayed because we live an hour from the hospital and like you, my husband had had to take and collect me. However my previous angiogram had been done very quickly after I'd had a heart attack and I'd been pushed in at the start of the list so I was very aware that emergencies happen all the time and they just can't stick to a timetable. Also some procedures can be more difficult and take a lot longer. It's annoying when a planned procedure can't happen but there are people who are far more urgent than me so it often can't be helped. I just had an outpatients appointment where I didn't get seen until 90 minutes after my appt time. Again it can't be helped. If I had been the person who needed longer with the consultant I would not have wanted to be rushed out just because someone else was waiting.
The answer lies somewhere in more capacity where emergencies don’t interrupt or delay booked appointments. That’s not going to happen in a hurry I know but without it there will be continual cancellations
I feel for the staff, many feel demoralised, they can't care for patients to the standard they would choose.
Staff who repeatedly miss their breaks to deal with emergencies, work overtime without recognition by getting their hours back or being paid overtime will become less effective.
When I was in hospital last time, my discharge was delayed as the doctor had to deal with a cardiac arrest and other life treating emergencies.
I didn't expect my discharge to be sorted out until they had taken their lunch break which they managed at 6pm!
I finally escaped at 8pm. The nurse discharging me was almost in tears as she was emotionally and physically exhausted.
The one thing I will kick up a fuss about is if I am treated unprofessionally, my careplan isn't followed and my expertise by experience in my rare heart condition is not respected.
It hasn't got any better in over 9 years that I can account for !!!
In 2015 I was moved from the bed onto the trolley ready to go down for a Bypass op. The Senior Nurse came and just said your cancelled, as you live local can someone come and collect you and bring you back tomorrow. Now that was a shock.
Fast forward to 2024 I was phoned on Tuesday of last week to go for an Ultra Sound I was asked would I mind going to a Diagnostic Centre, no problem. So I arrived for the appointment to be told your not on our system so we can't do it as we wouldn't have access to your records. I just said I didn't make it up and decided I would come here off my own bat, sorry you need to phone X Ray appointments and rearrange. Phoned got very polite person who said sorry we will make it up to you and fitted me in next day at the original hospital, sometimes it works lol
It's a weird way to run a health service, is it because no one cares and no one is accountable anymore ?
That must have been terrible for you. So inconsiderate. I am shocked at the heartlessness of it all. Fingers crossed for it all to go to plan next time Hammerboy. Best wishes
Unfortunate but emergencies do happen and come first. I was called in night before my op was supposed to be first down to theatre. All prepped at 6.00am ready for 7.00am theatre. Theatre staff came at 3.00pm to say an emergency came in and they had to use my slot, didn’t go as expected and had taken most of the day so I was to go home. Starved from the night before and throat dry with fear off i went. Surgeon called during the evening and booked me in for the following week.
I was told that I could only be cancelled twice but I was so urgent (large tumour attached to heart) that it would be very unlikely. Trouble is there are too many patients and not enough qualified surgeons. I had to have cardiology and thoracic teams some emergencies especially coming in from accidents could need many different specialities in with them.
I am sure that if they were worried about your condition, then you would get prioritized. Please take comfort from that they are not doing that. I know it can be very stressful waiting for the procedure, so I can sympathies with you. In my case I had had a heart attack, but still had to wait a few days for my Angiogram. Once I was actually having the procedure though, it was all really well organised and all the staff were very kind.
Thank you for your best wishes . You may be correct that my situation isn’t urgent and I’m really hoping it isn’t too . The appointment was made by my cardiologist as he feels I should be considered for open heart surgery and the angiogram is part of the work up to that surgery . I don’t know if the angiogram will show anything untoward but it must be an important part of the planning so in that case sooner the better surely
I know exactly how you feel. In my case, the Angio diagnosed that I needed a bypass. I feel very lucky that i was able to have midcab endoscopic bypass, which means that I did not have to have the full open heart surgery, so my recovery after 5 weeks is progressing quite well. Coming towards the op though I did want to have it, and also didn’t but without it I wouldn’t be able to return to a normal life. Still a serious op though. With any luck, if you are experiencing angina, you may only need a stent which can often be carried out during the procedure.
What an utter disgrace, when people vote conservative this is what you get, hospitals in general are pretty terrible these days, people crammed into corridors, patients without beds, may as well just throw patients in a massive pile like used car tires.
I wish you well, I should report your experience to the highest authority you can and publicly humiliate all that have made you suffer like this.
All the best keep strong and I hope you get sorted as soon as possible 👍
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Angiogram & Angioplasty 
My Angiogram Adventure (so far)
Angioplasty not angiogram?
Clear Angiogram but angina symptoms persist
