NHS Waiting Times (Wales)

[valleylaydee]

I posted last week regarding my worries about showing OC symptoms and although my GP didn't explicitly say that my radiology referral was classed as 'urgent', I certainly got this impression from her.

As a result, I have been expecting a letter or phone call every day since after researching waiting times for referrals where cancer is suspected. The information I gathered says that the maximum wait should be no more than 2 weeks... This was until I remembered that NHS Wales is governed differently and I live in Wales.

I looked up waiting times for NHS Wales... I was staggered to read that guidelines for urgent referrals in Wales suggest that patients wait no longer than TWO MONTHS for an appointment.

Can any members who have received diagnostics or treatment in Wales confirm that this is the case please? I'm just stunned at the variation in time line between England and Wales... 2 weeks seems like a fairly reasonable time to wait for an appointment but 62 days seems like an agonisingly long time to wait for someone with serious health concerns. This last week has felt like a month already...

It's possible that I've misread the literature online but would love to hear from anyone from Wales with firsthand experience of the system please? How long did you have to wait for scans etc?

Thanks in advance x

[Bubbles-1]

Hi Valleylayder

I believe if it's urgent they fast track you; it should take about 3 weeks from memory.

Hope this helps.

[valleylaydee in reply to Bubbles-1]

Thanks bubbles. That helps a lot. The receptionist did say that my appointment could be in one of 3 hospitals depending on which one has most availability. Hopefully that means I won't have too much longer to wait.

[valleylaydee in reply to Bubbles-1]

Just an update to let you know that you were completely right about fast-tracking... I got my appointment letter in the post today for Feb 5th so, just under 3 weeks from my referral. I'm glad I don't have much longer to wait 🤞

[GwenHP in reply to valleylaydee]

Waiting is so hard. Hoping for the best outcomes from your appointment. Let us know how it goes. - Gwen