Case Study Needed

[lynmynott]

Thyroid UK has been contacted by a journalist who is researching a feature about waiting times and choice in the NHS.

The piece aims to explore the extent to which patients are exercising choice, particularly in relation to their rights under the 18-week Referral to Treatment target. He is looking for case studies of patients who have experienced long delays in diagnosis and/or treatment of their condition, particularly those who were unaware of their right to transfer to another NHS provider after 18 weeks and who might have ended up waiting much longer than necessary as a result.

This journalist is looking for people who have actually been diagnosed by a specialist but who didn't get an appointment to see the specialist within 18 weeks. Also, he wants to know from these people if they knew they could have changed to another provider i.e. private hospital.

If anyone fits the criteria and is interested in talking to the journalist about this please contact me on [e-mail]

Thanks!

[Hidden]

It's a shame he is not looking at a more pertinent issue, namely getting specialist referrals from GPs in the first place as many simply refuse to provide specialist referrals

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK in reply to Hidden]

Hi Bluedaffodil, Funnily enough, I told him that I mostly our people don't actually get a referral in the first place. Let's hope he picks up on that and decides to write something about it in the future. From little seeds....

[Ansteynomad]

Long delays in diagnosis? 14 endo appointments over a four year period and still no diagnosis for me ...

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK in reply to Ansteynomad]

I think the journalist is looking for people who have actually been diagnosed by a specialist but who didn't get an appointment to see the specialist within 18 weeks.

[Ansteynomad in reply to lynmynott]

I know ... I was just having a bijou moanette

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK in reply to Ansteynomad]