Will a GP letter to consultant urging for surgery make difference?

[AkiBoo]

Hi,

Has a letter from GP to consultant made your waiting for surgery shorter?

If so, by how many weeks?

I am a bit sceptical about this. After being told that my surgery date is put back by 2 months, I am losing my hope for anything.

My GP has written a letter last week to my consultant, but I feel as if now NHS will never perform excision surgery.

In total, it will be 1 year from the time I made an appointment with my consultant until the surgery, that's if it will be ever carried out....

[LouLou2014]

Aki- we can't name consultants or institutions on here - but I live in East London and i'm in pretty much the same boat. I was originally told the Autumn and now it's looking like the new year - I was advised to "keep going to A&E - that way the hospital will have a record"... it's heart breaking that I have to bang a drum to try to make this actually happen. Especially when I've been assured that it will need to happen in time for me to qualify for IVF (I have 10 months left before i'm 40 - in that time I need to have the excision surgery and recover enough to have IVF...!).

If you google your consultant I you can often find direct email addresses for them. I have had some success with this.

Good luck!

[Louoakley]

Hi lovely I'm in the same boat too, I saw my doctor before Christmas and I've just been offered the lap only to be told it's a 18 week wait too. I've been on and off poorly for 4 years now... Had enough today. 😓😢

[Rockflower]

Have you tried speaking to PALS (patient liason service) at your hospital? Basically the NHS aim is for patients to have treatment within 18 weeks from your GPs refferal. If you google '18 week NHS right to treatment' you should come across what I'm referring to.

I was told Initially by the consultant his surgery list was breaching 18 weeks. The secretary then told me it was upto 26weeks (6months) plus! So I rang and spoke to pals to see if they could implicate this 18week maximum waiting time before I actually breached it.

I ended up making a few calls and then being rang up and having my surgery 2 weeks later after my last contact with pals (17weeks from refferal in all) so it actually worked for me.

I was quite honest with pals, saying my endo cysts (which were growing and multiplying rapidly) were causing me sheer agony. Had me missing days at work, had me cancelling all social events and increasingly in awful constant pain. I also said I was terrified I would loose at least one ovary if the cysts were not excised quickly (I did have 5 endo cysts on the one ovary but thankfully the surgeon saved it!)

It's worth contacting them and saying how you have breached the 18 week right to treatment etc..... It might help you get treatment sooner like myself?

Good luck x

[AkiBoo]

Thank you. I have contacted PALS, mentioned about 18 weeks rule but I had a call from them saying they cannot do anything about it. The only thing it might help now is this letter from GP but I am not sure. From my GP referral, it has been over 6 months now.

[LouLou2014 in reply to AkiBoo]

I have been making a nuisance of myself. I have absolutely zero GP support. They have been absolutely terrible. So - I have had to pretty much "manage" them myself. I am advised (kindly by the EUK help line) that I'm in a "worst case scenario" when it comes to GP support... so - I have circumvented them and now I am working it out for myself. It's amazing what you can learn from a few calls and explaining yourself. I usually start with "I'm under the care of - << surgeons name>> and I was told I would have heard from you by now" - if you're empathis to the difficulties of the real person (who has a blooming difficult job if you ask me - for not a huge reward) at the end of the phone you can usually build a rapport and find out some real answers.

I encourage you to get googling - and ask for a copy of your notes. My original referral was delayed 2 weeks because my GP sent it to a clinic that doesn't exist. In the end I googled the consultant - emailed her and printed that out and took it to my GP.

I am determined to believe that I'm not powerless in this situation!

[AkiBoo in reply to LouLou2014]

Oh deer, very sorry to hear your GP is not at the standard we expect!

So about the copy of notes, who do I ask for, to the secretaly of consultant?

Does this cost us and if so, how much?

Thank you, I want to think that we have some cotrol over this!

x

[LouLou2014 in reply to AkiBoo]

Hey Aki - do you know who you have been referred to? I would google them - most surgeons have both a private and and NHS list. If they have a private list they tend to have contact details - or at least a way to contact them directly. Asn an NHS patient they won't be very happy if you use their non-NHS email - but they might publish an NHS email anyway. Mine has her mobile number on there... not that I've gone that far.

I would also find out the name of their clinic - mine is gyne out patients - I have their direct number but no one ever answers that - so I go through the switchboard - making it look like an internal call - which also makes them pick up the line.

I was in telesales for a while and you learn some tricks- if you get transferred to the wrong place ask to be transferred by the person you're speaking to.

Research - google is a great tool.

Oh and you can ask for a copy of your notes at any time - under the data protection act they cannot refuse. They can charge you nominal printing costs - usually the details of how to do that are on your health centre's website. If you can't find them then go to the clinic and ask them. I found they were actually quite helpful. When the lady behind the desk for a print out of some blood test results she said "We can do that but there is a charge" I asked how much and she said "10p"... needless to say - she made me sit and wait in the waiting room - but I did.

smiling helps too. and saying thank you - ALOT. Just don't take no for an answer!

[AkiBoo in reply to LouLou2014]

I googled her but cannot find her direct contact. All I can see is her secretaries' contacts.

I will try to see what my notes look like, it is a good idea to find out more about my condition.

Thank you for the tips!

x

[LouLou2014 in reply to AkiBoo]

Pleasure - I'd try the secretary then - it's always worth a try! I work on the principle that if it were happening to your significant other or your child or you Mum - and they couldn't act for themselves - what would you do? The fact that its "YOU" and not another person makes it seem weak - but it's not. Strength comes from fighting for what you need.

Wish you the very best of luck.