Oxfordshire hospitals/consultants

Taking a leaf our of Ratty's book as mods don't seem to mind this question...

I'm now on my third referral and really not feeling hopeful or positive about it (the totally realistic nightmares about 10min appts where they tell me my PF is too high don't help!)

I don't know that I will get a choice about where I go, as I suspect it will just be the chest clinic at the local hospital again. I haven't seen my Choose and Book form yet as my GP seems to be doing things an odd way round this time.

However, I decided to have a look on the trust website to see who I might be seeing and I am really not encouraged! I hopefully won't be seeing the same cons as last time who told me it definitely wasn't asthma, as I think she will be on maternity leave. However, of the rest, only one listed asthma as a specialist interest and when I googled her all the other things I found made no mention of her being interested in asthma especially! I'm sure they can all deal with general asthma stuff but as the whole reason I am being referred is because my asthma is odd and won't respond properly to standard treatments, I was hoping for someone who is a bit more familiar with less classic presentations and won't get hung up on the usual lack of wheeze, high PF etc.

Do hospitals maybe just not have accurate info on their sites, or not update very often? Or does anyone know if there are any good asthma consultants in the area? Seems odd that there wouldn't be, especially as asthma is hardly the rarest of respiratory conditions!

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I have been treated in John Radcliff in Oxford and was given to me as one of my options when moved back down south but this was in my earlier days. The resp team i saw seemed to have a good understanding of Diffcult asthma and VCD.

I wouldnt worry too much about asthma not being listed as one of there specilist areas and pretty sure John Radcliff do have a diffcult asthma clinic still

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Thanks Bizkid! I wonder if things have changed...did you go to the actual JR then, as the resp centre now seems to be at the Churchill? Last time I went to what used to be called the Osler chest unit at the Churchill. I wonder if they just don't have anything on the website. I would expect there to be something for difficult asthma as this is Oxford and therefore there's a lot of research going on so you'd expect consultants with an interest in less classic asthma.

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Yeah was admitted via ED then and spent a total of 3 weeks then as ended up ITU etc I couldnt tell you what outpatient clinics are like as wasnt treated there I decided on Southampton instead as a tad easier for me to get too but the consultants I met were lovely