Why is is such hard work to get results!

[Cazza83]

Waiting on fna biopsy and barium swallow results is painful lol I've been told the consultant has them and that I will now have a follow up appointment which isnt for another few weeks so 5 weeks in total. The secretary said that she wouldn't of thought there would be anything to worry about but that she cant give results over the phone. I asked if she could possibly just ask someone to give me a call to let me know the thy rating, as it makes no difference to me whether someone tells me in person or not. She said she'd get someone to call me. Not heard anything back, I totally understand that results arent black and white and need explaining but it's such a shame you have to wait to see someone in person when you know they are sitting there 😥 can I ask what other peoples experiences are of receiving results? I dont think that I have anything to worry about but I just like to know!

[JumpJiving]

When people talk about "our" NHS, my response is to ask how easy it is to get "our" test results. To me, it seems that a large part of the NHS is about keeping as much information from patients as possible in order to make the doctors (whether consultants, GPs, or any other type) seem wise and important. In the process GPs may well be breaching their contracts, and it seems likely that many parts of the NHS are breaching GDPR.

My GP practice is a teaching practice, where they are supposed to follow all best practices in order for the new GPs to pick up good habits. LMAO at that one. The receptionists resist giving out results over the phone. I'm not talking about interpretation, just results and ranges. I had an ultrasound recently. When the results got back to the GP, they booked an appointment for me about 3 weeks later and would not give out the results before that. However, now that I have online access to my records, I went online and got the results myself, which are easy ones to translate into follow-up actions. The good thing about that is that when I finally do see the GP, I won't be given some surprise results and so be left unable to think on the spot (tricky anyway with thyroid brain fog) of what questions I need to ask. Instead, I'll turn up armed with a list of relevant questions. That'll teach them...

I also look after my mother's medical stuff under power of attorney, and under some consent form that the GP insists on but which has no more legal meaning than the POA. She had some blood tests recently (at a different GP practice). I phoned up to get the results. The receptionist did the usual resisting thing. Eventually, I got her to read results (which she gave without units or ranges). When I pressed for the units and ranges it became clear that she hadn't got a clue what she was looking at, and anything she read to me could be nonsense. Again, not asking for interpretation of results, just results and ranges. So, I instructed her to print out the results, I drove to the surgery and picked them up. Given the nature of those particular tests, I can sort out what my mother needs today, whilst she waits the 2 weeks for the appointment that was made for her with the GP. I hasten to add that the GP wasn't originally going to do those tests at all, until I pointed out that they should have been done before a much more expensive CT scan that had already been done. Having seen the results, it's clear that I was right to ask for those tests, and that the CT scan should have been delayed until the tests were done and the appropriate follow up actions taken, as it might turn out that the more expensive CT scan was not required at all. As for the CT scan, when I chased the clinic that organised it for the GP, they told me that it would take 2-3 months for the report to be written up. Absolutely ridiculous. Roll on the introduction of AI for checking scans and generating reports.

So, based on personal experience, I do think the NHS is as secretive as it can get away with being when it comes to our own data. I also think that many aspects of the NHS need reorganising, rather than just throwing more money at it as politicians keep doing. They fear being critical of the NHS despite all its faults, as they think they will lose votes when they inevitably get accused of preparing to privatise the NHS, when what it needs is to improve the way it does things, nothing to do with privatisation.

TBH, even many private consultants try to maintain the cloak of greater power and wisdom. Many of them try to avoid sending useful information direct to patients, instead sending a summary to the GP and cc'ing the patient if lucky. I don't just want the summary. I want the detail too. I've seen enough useless medics on private referrals to not fall for the pretense of greater wisdom .

[Cazza83 in reply to JumpJiving]

I completely agree with you! It's your body and yet you are led to believe that you do not need to be given all the information in case you dont understand it or maybe want to challenge the treatment options. Assumptions, and what is wrong with having more knowledge especially as in your case they were taking the wrong course of action.

When I requested my ultrasound results the receptionist begrudgingly told me it was solid cystic and said I wouldn't understand anything else! So I went in and asked for a print out, it had on there multinodular and retrosternal, why would you assume that someone wouldn't know what this was.

My biggest concern is how complicated they seem to have made the admin process, when I've seen nurses etc through this process they dont seem to have a clue when I will likely have an appointment or how I'll find out when it is, I have, only from chasing, found out they'd misplaced my ultrasound referral, and when I chased for fna results that they hadn't sorted a follow up as they thought I'd cancelled one, which I hadn't.

I think you are definitely in charge of your own care, and if you dont chase you might just be missed for months.

It's good that you have got your online patient access sorted, I've tried to set mine up but my gp has said I cant access my results on it because they dont have it set up. I've had to go direct to an nhs access to information email and request copies of everything so that I can get a second opinion if needed. I've never until now needed to use nhs and it scares me how many people may fall through the cracks because the system seems to have been made so secretive and complicated.

[SmallBlueThing]

It takes four to six weeks for letters to arrive following my hospital appointments. My surgery changed their system for online access, which I think allows the local hospitals to access records, but doesn't allow me to access hospital test results until they've been sent to the surgery. No ranges on the results in the letters I've received, and inaccuracies over my medication.

[Cazza83 in reply to SmallBlueThing]

I really feel for you 😥 it isnt nice feeling like you dont have control over any of it. It's a shame they cant make the online access a little better, you're putting your trust in people with the expectation that you'll get the best possible treatment

Hope you are getting on okay