PLSE SIGN OUR E PETITIONS: OVER 236000 PEOPLE ARE WAITING OVER 18 WKS FOR TREATMENT IN THE UK IN BREACH OF THE NHS CONSTITUTION.

[Jahou]

Hi all, please click on the two e petitions on the front page of the pelvic pain support network and sign them.The petitons ask the government to ensure all people get treatment within 18 weeks and asks for changes to employment law to ban employers from dismissing people for sickness levels relating to their condition whilst they are wating for treatment.We urgently need more signatures to get these petitions noticed.The bbc reported in July that over 236000 people had been waiting over 18 weeks for surgery an increase of 8.5% in just one yr.The nhs constitution states all patients should be treated within 18 weeks, clearly this is NOT happening. I was told I needed surgery for endometriosis in August but was told for 2 and a half months that I would not be getting any treatment until 2012 at the earliest.I complained to my pct,my MP and GP wrote to them asking for me to get treatment sooner and I advised them I was happy to go anywhere else or see another consultant to get treatment within 18 weeks.The pct refused to help for over 2 mnths .I was too ill to work and terrified of loosing my job due to my high sickness levels, I ended up travelling to Slovenia in October and paying for my own treatment, (private surgery costs were much lower there than here),I could not afford to do this and had to pay by credit card .Last week the pct suddenly changed their mind and gave me the option of having the operation with another consultant at the endo of November,why could they not have done this when I,my GP and MP complained to them in August? I am the third person I know who has ended up paying for treatment in the last year due to massive waits for surgery on the nhs and for fear of loosing their job whilst waiting months for surgery. I also have a friend waiting 6 months for their first visit to see a consultant and another friend waiting 7 weeks from decision to treat to her cancer to her surgery date.The nhs constituion stipulates a maximum wait of 31 days for cancer treatment once the decision to treat is made.

I feel it is grossly unfair for anyone to be left in pain for upto 6-9 months.These long waits can have a devastating impact for the patient, leaving them in severe pain, worrying about loosing their jobs, their condition deteriorating drastically whilst waiting for treatment and financial hardship as most people either get no sick pay or only get full sick pay for a few weeks or months, could you afford to live on £81 per week statutory sick pay for months and be able to meet your regular financial commitments?

Pelvic pain support network carried out a pelvic pain and work survey last yr,Over a THIRD of respondants had lost a job due to their condtion and a similar number had been bullied at work.If increasing numbers of people are forced to wait over 18 weeks for treatment it is not hard to conclude that sufferers are going to be even more at risk of loosing their job.I feel there should be changes to employment and equality laws banning employers for disciplining or dismissing employees for sickness relating to their condition whilst they are waiting for treatment.Sufferers are being punished by their employers because they are having to wait a long time for treatment.This is grossly unfair in my opinion. IT TAKES LESS THAN 2 MINUTES TO SIGN OUR E PETITIONS, PLEASE SIGN THEM IF YOU FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE ACCESS TO PROMPT TREATMENT ON THE NHS.Thanks Julia

[PPSN_JudyB Pelvic Pain Support Netwo]

Hi Julia,

The situation regarding wait times seems to have deteriorated rapidly. It should be possible to be reimbursed and it's not acceptable that people lose their jobs due to pain while waiting for adequate care. The EU cross border-healthcare directive which has to be passed in national legislation by Oct 2013 states that " the degree of the patients pain" has to be assessed when the request for authorization was made. This is still 2 years away though with a lot of work to do in the meantime.

A London MP asked several questions in parliament last week. We'll see what the response is.

[PPSN_JudyB Pelvic Pain Support Netwo]

This is interesting

onmedica.com/NewsArticle.as...

[FKSW]

Hi Julia,

I gave up waiting to receive treatment on the NHS, the referral to the pain specialist took 10 months to get an appointment, by which time id already paid privately to have nerve blocks and surgery in Nantes. I couldn't afford to lose more years out of my life to pain, I start my job in a year and a half, and if I was not in a physical state to do so, I would probably have had to pay back the sponsorship money I've been getting to study. I don't understand what people in pain are supposed to do while they wait for treatment, other than deteriorate physically and mentally. I'm lucky to have been a position to pay for private treatment, but im aware that many cannot, I hope to get as many people as possible to sign your petition, A positive sign is there seems to be a lot of debate in government and media coverage on this issue at the moment, as Judy's link shows.

Fiona

[PPSN_JudyB Pelvic Pain Support Netwo]

Here it is : neurosurgery ( Fiona ) is cited specifically in this article and there's more than two sentences Julia !

guardian.co.uk/society/2011...

[Jahou Pelvic Pain Support Netwo]

Hi Fiona Thanks for your comments and aim to get people to sign the petition. I hope that your pain is much better and the treatment you received in Nantes gives you some long term relief.It is disgusting to expect people in agony to wait 10 months or more to get their pain treated.These delays are ruining the lives of thousands and I hope and pray that the media coverage will stop these unacceptable waits for treatment happening as the system seems to be deteriorating rapidly and I worry for the future of the nhs. Julia

[Sandy48]

Ive worked for the NHS myself, members of my family still now work within the NHS, 99% work for love NOT money, these are NOT the people to blame for the existing problems, its sad, tragic in fact that those at the front getting the least money and working the longest hours are the people being abused assaulted & blamed