Hope your all adjusting to our new life post shielding!.
For anyone like me waiting for an op or procedure at your local hospital in England I hope this enclosed article gives you some heart .Especially for those of you again like me who have been waiting a long time!. It's been tough for us hasn't it?.
It's good to see that hospitals will be fined if they don't get up to doing 80-90% of capacity for op's in Sept/Oct to tackle the long waiting lists!.
Take care everyone in the heat that's coming end of the week.
MistyX
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misty14
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Hope this is NHS Scotland too. I should have been at rheumatology in May. Still wary of the dental hospital appointment regarding my jaw though. Would rather have virus levels much lower before any examinations involving my mouth.
Hi GE, do understand your concerns specially the dental hospital appt. Sounds like you really need that follow up one!. They will have all the necessary PPE and be doing all the cleaning between patients probably better than our usual dentists in the community!. Do realise though ge with your anxiety it's a BIG STEP to take!.
The article just mentions England unfortunately but my guess is there will be similar measures in place for Scotland, Wales and Ireland!.
Coukd you ring your Rheumy dept to chase your appt?. They are always behind but with covid restrictions it will be worse!. Three /four months delay is a long time!.
Hope your all keeping as safe and well as possible. Xx
My husband had his hip replacement more than a month ago at RI Edinburgh. He felt very safe & has recovered soon. I’m overdue my rituximab infusion, might get it soon. But I’d rather wait than be rushed. Be safe
🤨Hmmmm...am thinking: good luck enforcing this one, guys 🤷🏼♀️...😯 do tell dear misty: did I miss this when I skimmed through last weekend’s Sunday Times? If you say I did, I’ll rush to find it & put it on our fridge! Hope your op happens sooner rather than later 🤞🍀❤️ Coco
Hi dear barnclown. No it was in Saturday's Times on page 2. !. I'll send you a copy of it if you'd like?. Tricky situation really in fining hospitals as there's been such regional differences in covid cases!. Seems very unfair on the hard working staff.
I may not get my op very soon as I'm waiting for a full colonoscopy and won't have it until at least mid Sept as had to go on routine list despite suffering and risks etc!. They're behind due to covid restrictions etc!. It would be sensible to get this done first before an op!. I don't think the hospital will do it to be honest. I'm also hoping to get on list for my leg injections as in a lot of pain , just left a message to ask now the shielding has been lifted!.
Do hope your as well as possible and keeping safe and well. Xx💃🏿
No such luck re injections either Barnclown. Just had call from pain dept and within two weeks will get a call to make another tel appt which I've just had and that wil be 2-3 weeks into the future!. Nearly my colonoscopy appt by then!. Ha!. She had said if she coukd do them I'd go straight on the list.Very disappointing!. This covid has so much to answer for, for us all in many ways!. Xx💃🏿Xx😊Xx💕Xx😊
"It's good to see that hospitals will be fined if they don't get up to doing 80-90% of capacity for op's in Sept/Oct to tackle the long waiting lists"
Sorry - totally disagree. Over and above Covid-19 the primary reason for the long waiting lists are staff shortages. By fining hospitals they will have even less money to replace people who have left - most of whom have probably left for home due to the political situation beginning with B. And the pay rises for non-nursing staff has no new funding - it must come out of the existing totally inadequate budget.
Exactly 🤷🏼♀️...politicians 🤦🏼♀️...& this includes staff shortages due to stumbling & fumbling from the outset re COVID policies: all those medics dead from COVID...
This is typical govt smoke and mirrors. Under fundthe nhs for years , then fine then , this removing more funding , so less money to care for patients. This with an imminent Covid spike looming. The problem of short staffing is not being addressed. Staff are leaving as they are becoming so stressed/ demoralised . Govt needs to remove a layer of management. Get more staff on the wards.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I was just about to make a very similar comment. The Government have underfunded, understaffed and under resourced our NHS shamefully for ten years. They offer clapping instead of adequate PPE and living wages and now they intend to fine hospitals where staff have worked around the clock, many have died from COVID and morale is at an all time low?? Typical political bullying. It will not be the managers and bureaucrats that are penalised but the medical staff on the ground.Please do not think this is an attack on your post lovely Misty I am delighted that you will at last get the help you need but I am incensed by the disgraceful attitude of Government.xx
I agree cecily with everything you say. It's apalling that they will fine those hospitals and staff that have battled covid !. They don't deserve it but my local hospital has been the opposite!. Not a lot of covid cases but waiting to see if we get a spike so a lot of reluctance to go back to normal rather than just doing emergencies!. It comes down to how individual hospitals interpret the guidelines!. Do hope you've heard from your new Rheumy!. Xx
Hi Misty, I just wanted you to know that I was not being unkind to you because you need and deserve your treatment. No no news from the new Rheumy yet but I guess there is little he can do until he gets to examine me. Given my fall and numb feet I think perhaps the Neurology appointment is more important at the moment for me. Please let me know how you get on xx
Hi cecily, thanks for your lovely message, I didn't think you were being unkind at all. I wasn't thinking very well in posting the article!. I didn't intend for it to become political , just wanted to give heart to people like me who've been waiting in pain for a long time!.
I thought your fall was awful cecily, you were lucky not to be more badly injured!. Hope the soreness is improving. Could you chase the neurology dept as agree you need their input quickly now?. Hope you get the appt soon.
That is good Misty. I am so terrified after the letter from the Urologist saying that I was at serious risk of death from Covid because of my “ gross obesity” therefore she could not see me at clinic. I don’t want to chase anything up. I know I am a chicken but if I can avoid it I will . You keep safe too xx
Surely cecily, your first appt coukd be telephone with the neuro because of covid and the risks!. It's unfortunate for you they've made this connection with covid and obesity giving added risks!. Medics can be so cruel with their attitudes as sadly you've had a lot of!. Not a chicken at all but right to be wary!.
Lots of luck cecily, keeping fingers tightly crossed for you. Keep safeXx
It is a private appointment so I really need a thorough and hands on appointment. I have not been able to work for the past eleven years so our savings are gone. There is a 18 month waiting list for Neurology on the NHS. I feel dreadful even considering the private route but I have no option so at least the first appointment will give me an idea what he thinks is causing my issues. Look after yourself xxx
Oh cecily it's so cruel your having to go down the private route just to get help quickly!. 18 months is way too long to wait for help!. I'm so sorry it's such a long time since you were able to work!. Do hope the appt comes thru quickly, money can talk sadly so it shoukd do and will be face to face!. Needs to be really to examine you etc as you say!.
Totally agree that fines are not the way to go. I went in recently for a day procedure. The care was amazing, their backlog, stunning. They have added 2 extra hours per day to the list. It was running like clockwork and still people were moaning. It is frustrating when anxious or in pain but how removing money from the hospitals is ever an answer os beyond me.
Yes - my older daughter is an endoscopy nurse. A high risk procedure because it forms aerosols and that's the problem re Covid. They are back to doing them, trying to catch up the even bigger backlog. But each one takes longer so they are working longer to do the same number of patients. And they STILL don't have proper PPE
That's apalling PMpro that they don't have still adequate PPE!. Where is your daughter a nurse?. I'm waiting for a colonoscopy as well and been told mine won't be until at least mid sept because of covid restrictions and the big backlog they have which I understand!. Tough though when suffering but just have to get on with it!. You must worry about your daughter getting covid!. Hope your all keeping well and safe. Xx
Colonoscopy is far less of a problem - wrong end for the aerosols!!! She is in Scotland, which is better than some places in England.
It is ignorance on the part of the purchasers who were trying to tell her that the visors supplied could be reused because they could be wiped with alcohol. But the forehead band was a porous foam strip (you know what I mean?) so they had to be thrown out. Had the strip been plastic covered THAT would have been reusable. During the worst part of the crisis the rules were changed daily (or several times daily) depending on what they had available. It is better than it was then. But the people involved do not understand infection control - even some of the infection control nurses don't understand it either - and none of them actually work on the front line and know what the logistics problems on a ward are.
One daughter was shielding and the other front line (should have been shielding with asthma) - they have survived this far. One is having surgery tomorrow, been waiting 18 months so will be off until the second peak in October when all hell will let loose
Good luck to your daughter who is having surgery tomorrow after such a long wait!. Is it joint replacement surgery?. She must have thought she'd never get it like i do now!.
It's been a shambles with the supplies of PPE for everyone and so hard on the frontline staff having guidelines change hourly like that!.
No - endometriosis which had been ignored for nearly 20 years or so - and an op she's been waiting for for 3 years really and was about to be done when Covid happened.
That's awful PMpro, she must have had a lot of pain with it. I do hope today's op is a success and her recovery is uncomplicated. These are such worrying times thanks to covid,. It's brought extras we can all do without. Xx
I'm glad Johare you have had your procedure and hopefully it's been successful for you. Can I ask if you've been on the shielding list?. I've been waiting for an op since Jan and am on the urgent day case list as in tremendous pain!. My hospital thankfully has had few covid cases and is all set up to treat them separately!. They're still reluctant to do more of these needed procedures and I'm struggling to keep my patience because of the pain!. Sometimes a carrot and stick are needed but you have to know where and how to do it. Not at hospitals and staff who have battled covid. I didn't realise naively that they could be fined!. Keep safe and well. Xx
Strangely PMRpro, it was an endoscopy that I had at my local hospital. They have been struggling to clear their Covid cases and when I was speaking to the Nurse technician he said that they also did not receive the correct PPE. They did my procedure with paper masks. My daughter in law, a nurse in Glasgow, has been slightly better off it appears.
I was seen because it was related to chest pain, they have removed what they can but I am seeing a cardiologist now, as it appears I have had an MI. It never rains but it poors! I was swiftly moved across departments.
My son was a bed manager in the same hospital prior to moving to Scotland, he said that being fine was constantly on his mind. Ambulances came in, patients were to be moved, none were going home as social care had no money to move them or no ambulances to take them home. This problem hasn't changed since I started nursing in the 80s. Fining doesn't work.
Thanks Johare for your good wishes. Sorry that your endoscopy has now led you to needing cardiology!. We do need multiple Consuktants so much with these illnesses!. I don't know what an MI is but I hope you get the right help and treatment soon!. I'm heartened you were shielded and had the procedure but I guess it was more emergency for you than me!. I feel I just can't make any progress as now need a colonoscopy due to added colitis problems and probably won't get op till that's better sorted!.
I think it's scandalous that frontline staff have not had the right PPE to protect themselves and some areas been better than others!.
Also bad is the underfunding of social care and patients bed blocking etc!. This still hasn't been adequately funded and as you say was a problem way back in 80's and is still a problem now!.
Brilliant article, sadly this doesn't apply to Wales though. Is this story in natinoal news? If so do have a link please so I contact the useless MP and the very good Welsh AM. Hospitals in Wales have basically been empty of covid19 since mid May, but we are STILL, 5 months on, being subjected to medical neglignce. There is no excuse.
Field hospitals should've been used from the beginning for ALL outpatient appts. In North Wales, all outpatient referrals were a 12+ month wait under the "healthboard" BCUHB and that was in aumtumn of 2019 - dread to think about now.
Both NHS Wales and NHS England have set the maximum wait time for a referral as 26 weeks and maximum of 36 weeks before treatment starts. So even before the days of covid19, North Wales, were WAY outside of these limits.
The article was in the Times last Sat 1st Aug and unfortunately as you say doesn't include Wales. I would think though that NHS Wales should have a similar scheme in place for hospitals as it sounds like they need it as some hospitals do in England!. Its shocking for us waiting in need for treatment and can't get it done despite covid cases being so low now!.
Could you write to the equivalent head of nhs Wales as we have a head of Nhs England?. I do hope you get a breakthrough soon.keep safe Xx
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