I’m a strong supporter of the NHS and the frontline staff who keep it going but the cracks were definitely showing this week.
First of all on Wednesday a long wait while the only phlebotomist on duty worked her way through a growing line of patients. Problems getting my bloods, which is rare for me, apparently due to new cheaper Chinese needles they’ve now been given and which don’t work as well. After two needles and two extra blood tubes I’m sure any saving had been more than wiped out and I have some good bruising to show for it too..!
Clinic on Friday very busy with 98 patients and 4 doctors - waited my turn only to find the blood sample still hadn’t worked so no results to review. Waste of my time and the doctor’s as nobody had flagged it up so I could get another sample done. Did that after the wasted appointment and now keeping fingers crossed I get a letter to confirm results as ‘Don’t phone us we’re too busy to take calls.’
Doctor had sent off for another CALR test (my last was 5 years ago) to see if any change in my mutation/allele burden - refused by the lab as they don’t have the budget to retest...
Interval between clinic visits now stretched from 3 to 6 months ‘as your condition is stable’ but I suspect more to do with lack of capacity for appointments. Interim blood test at 3 months to check all is OK, with follow up by letter, so that should be OK if the letter arrives (didn’t last time!).
Hospital Pharmacy had then cancelled my repeat prescription for Pegasys, so a long wait to get that reinstated and when I picked it up they’ve just dispensed 4 months not 6. Doctor not picking up phone, so more time to be wasted (mainly theirs not mine) to sort out the missing 2 doses.
Each individual I dealt with was pleasant and helpful but seemed frustrated by working in a service that’s struggling to get the basics done - it’s worrying that it’s likely to continue getting worse as patient numbers increase and budgets get cut even further - how soon till it breaks down completely..!?
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AndyT
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In our hospital we have bloods done prior to our appointment at our own GP surgery , so our results are with the Heamo before we go into our appointment , which certainly appears to have made some difference to the consultation. It seems to have speeded up the process. Certainly when you have a very busy clinic as the one you attended things do get missed which is disconcerting to say the least. I read somewhere there is a problem recruiting more heamatologists , I suspect this applies to most specialist doctors.
It is worrying , again fortunate at our clinic I never feel rushed by my heamo..
yes me too, now collect a blood form at end of visit and have this ready to take to GP s and then results are all ready at the hospital. I think we allow a good 3 days prior to haem appt.
Sorry to hear you have had problems, I must be one of the lucky ones as I have my bloods and weight done twenty minutes before my due appointment, get to see my Haematologist for a ten minute appointment so in and out within an hour, and if there are any health problems with myself he gets things moving like scans and X-rays, cannot fault them, although my last appointment two weeks ago I did not get to see my usual Haematologist but a lovely Italian lady doctor who was just as good.
As I say I must be one of the lucky ones, but it’s sad to hear that all is not well with your NHS trust, they are really being pushed to the limits, and unfortunately I do not think it is going to get any better.
I know what you mean exactly! I was seeing a haematologist privately as my ex agreed to keep paying. Then he said I nweeded pegasys and he,d transfer me to the NHSdue to cost. This was two months and I've heard nothing. I've chased it up through his secretaries at both hospitals and no response. After Easter I'll have to go back to GP and start again with a new referral.
My hospital at Norwich does blood tests then 20 minutes later see the consultant. Very good service. Occasionally things might run about an hour late but that doesn't happen often.
Oh dear, such a shame your NHS trust is suffering so badly. Ours is amazing at all levels. I notice a difference from one hospital to the next but service is still good
Like a few of the others above my blood test was done at my GP surgery 6-7 days before my hospital appointment. My visits to him are now annually instead of 3 monthly but I am still to get my bloods done 3 monthly at the GP. I did get a letter from the hospital saying all was pretty much the same. Then my GP sent me a letter saying he was not happy with my red blood cells and he asked me to come for another blood test and that he'd written to the Consultant asking why that could be. I have since heard nothing back and am taking no news as good news on my 2nd sample.
I did worry about no checks being done on the size of my liver and spleen though which will now only be done at my annual appointment. It's a bit scary feeling like we have been cut adrift.
My GP being so 'on my case' and raising his concern with my Haemo and insisting I come for another blood test makes me think that he would have been back in touch if things were not good Eleanor. Maybe too trusting?
Have to agree Andy. I’ve had good treatment overall and the doctors and nurses are clearly working flat out. But the waits have been immense at times (five hours when I was waiting for crucial BMB results!) and there’s definitely been a slightly rushed attitude towards everything. I don’t blame the NHS, it’s clearly the government who’ve deemed it not worth investing in 😤
I have my bloods taken at my gp a week before my appointment. I have not seen a haematologist for over a year now because I am stable as they say. I see a specialist nurse every 3 months, and then collect my hydroxy from the hospital chemist. I have never had my liver or spleen checked and was diagnosed 7 years ago.
Ah, it may be it would be good to ask if spleen/liver should be checked. I remember my consultant arranged this at the outset even though there was no clinical evidence of a problem.
Always sad to hear of such poor experiences but why automatically blame this n budget cuts. A lot of what you describe is down to human error .... increase the workload efficiency and productivity rates and you get a better NHS.
I’m the same as many have already mentioned, in our hospital, we have bloods done prior to our appointment at our own GP surgery. We have a specialist nurse off for 6 months and I’ve heard many patients having their treatment transferred back to their GP’s. The future is a bit of a concern.
Last week I went to my NHS pharmacy and they didn’t have enough Pegasys. Now a week later this order still hasn’t arrived. Luckily I'm in no rush for this medication.
I feel lucky because my GP can’t prescribe Pegasys. Having any chronic condition is a worry as money and experience are so short.
My better half is a nurse and she takes my blood, I then pop into into the local hospital on a Wednesday,following Friday I see my consultant..
Chinese needles , I dont buy that, all needles have to be of a certain standard. Yes the NHS is under pressure and yes there is a huge amount of waste..
My clinic always runs late, the clinic starts at 8:30, the consutants never turn up before 9, I register with the clinic co-ordinator, he takes my book and takes the file over to 3 HCA's who 'appear' to do very little, they weight you and thats about it...
Attended another clinic and saw one nurse lean against a 'counter' for well over 1 hour.. Even my better half could see how bad some clinics are run... and she is a massive supporter of the NHS..
The NHS does need to change and some will resist it , but its "The NHS is the fifth biggest employer in the world, according to new research, making it bigger than India's railways and China's state-owned energy network. It is still dwarfed by McDonald's and Walmart but remains the only British employer that can claim a spot in the top ten list." Statistically thats a strange one...
Hi Andy, I share your concerns about the future of the NHS given the current grim situation we are in. My wonderful haematology clinic, where I take bloods and then typically see a consultant with the results some 40min later, has now started to cut some of the services such as the weighing of patients. Testing for allele burden is not funded. Our amazing specialist nurse is completely overburdened with 200 patients to care for - and when she went on family leave there was no replacement. Personally, being on Pegasys, I am really worried about its future availability. I hope for better times ahead.
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