very OT, NHS waiting times

[mike]

OT. I'm trying to get some understanding of nhs waiting lists/times. Basically, in considerable pain and waiting for op. Seen consultant, told "about 4 weeks waiting". Just called and his sec. says "Don't know where he's got that from. We are looking at **maybe** Novemember." She followed up with "There's an 18 week pathway". I guess that's NHS-speak for "at least"? Then I notice on the blurb it says something about "consult the NHS constitution if you think you have been waiting too long". Due to mistaken diagnosis by gp I have been waiting since Feb (not on the list becuase of this)! Anyone have any inside knowledge of such things pls? Is there such a thing as a "waiting list" any more. It all seem ad hoc to me.Thanks for any help.

Just thought, the consultant may have been quoting Private medical treatment waiting time. £££

[The Other Mike]

Once you have seen the consultant you have got as far as you can 'up the queue' The waiting time from this point is about the same regardless of Private vs NHS.

The only thing that will speed things up is bad weather (can't play golf) lost passport (can't play golf somewhere sunny), volcano spreading ash across Europe (still got passport but can't fly to somewhere sunny to play golf)

HTH

[Rob Miller]

Things might speed up soon, but not for you. GPs are going to be paid extra for referring fewer patients for hospital tests and appointments.

[mike]

For all of us then. btw do you have a reference for that? I realise the dismantling of the nhs is proceeding with haste.

[Rob Miller]

[brass monkey]

Without such things as BUPA, maybe the easiest/cheapest way to jump a few places is to pay for a private consultation with the consultant of your choice. £150'ish. I'm told the rules have changed, when you've paid your money you then need a letter from your GP to the consultant referring you to him. This can happen after the consultation, not necessarily before.

[Tim+]

In Scotland, you are supposed to receive your treatment within 18 weeks

*from referral* (the day that your GP sends off the referral letter).

You might not get seen at the hospital for 17 weeks, but if that's the case, you should receive your treatment within a week.

See

(and below) which makes mention of "national waiting time guarantee"

Tim.

####################################### The Scottish Government has set out the vision for a stronger NHS which will make better use of NHS capacity to deliver a better deal for patients. A major element in achieving this vision will be the national waiting time guarantee - 18 Weeks Referral to Treatment Standard.

Reduced waiting times lead to better outcomes for patients. Achieving the 18 Weeks Standard will help to sustain a better quality of life for patients and help achieve the objective of a Healthier Scotland.

The 18 Weeks Standard is different from previous waiting times targets because it applies to the whole 'pathway' from referral up to the point that the patient is actually treated.

From December 2011, 18 weeks will be the maximum waiting time from referral to treatment for non-urgent patients, but most patients will be seen more quickly.

Dunno

[Geoff Pearson]

Confirmed. My mother-in-law went past 18 weeks and was then seen privately immediately at NHS cost and if the surgery had proceeded that would have been done privately too. NHS Scotland is pretty good these days.

Edinburgh.

[mike]

Thanks for the info Geoff. Things a little clearer now. As the discomfort here was considerable I opted to see a consultant privately. Happend within a week - he was very good and I got diagnosed properly. However, he then had to refer me back in to the nhs (becuase it is the law), and I saw the same consultant about the same problem 1 month later. No complaints from me about that - I just wanted the diagnosis and not to try Q jump. So the thing seems to be that the nhs gets a person seen before 18 weeks else they have to pay a private medical bill

But in that case, is it not in the consultants interest (if he so chose!) to delay the Op date so that patient gets seen privately? This consultant works (is based at) the same private hospital I am booked in at! I was told "there are x many nhs places available" - but nothing about the 18 week wait. (sigh) Hope I make sense is hard to type and think right now. If this is the case, maybe I should try for another nhs hospital directly - that will please the consultant (not).

[mike]

Just followup my own post - but is there not a conflict of interest in the 18 week scheme (where the nhs pays a private hospital to do the work if 18 weeks waiting is exceeded).

Because many (all?) consultants work in both nhs and private hospitals so would be to their advantage to delay patients more than 18 weeks so they get to see the same patient at their private practice! Just playing devils advocate here - not accusing them of any such thing. But it begs the significant question - will a private hospital treat an nhs patient if they have *not* been waiting the 18 weeks? (i.e. will the nhs pay them to do so?).

[polygonum]

If you feel the situation needs to be questioned and possibly complained= =

at, consider contacting PALS at the relevant hospital.

[Nightjar]

I have been in a BUPA hospital at NHS expense without waiting times being a factor. That was because the NHS hospital did not have the operating theatre capacity it needed and it was cheaper to rent space in the BUPA hospital, which was across the road, than to extend the NHS hospital ahead of a planned major reorganisation.

Colin Bignell

[Bob Eager]

I had a similar experience although it was for day surgery (to fix a 'trigger finger'), and it was the other was round facilities-wise.

I was given the choice of several hospitals, and my GP helpfully found out the waiting times for each and wrote them on the letter she sent me. I chose a small private hospital right next door to Margate hospital, which used consultants from the main hospital. Much as you describe, the waiting time in the main hospital was a lot longer....they didn't use the facilities outside normal working hours.

My surgery was a Sunday morning, and the consultations were on Saturdays.

And he did a great job.

[charles]

I had a next door neighbour - an ENT surgeon - who spent most of his last few working years sitting in his office because the hospital (a big London one) couldn't provide a staffed operating theatre in which he could work. He was, rather naturally, glad to retire.

[geoff]

Really?

A few years ago

NHS - about 9 months

Private - when can you come in?

[geoff]

RIP Andy Hall

[Man at B&Q]

Rubbish. Private will be a few days max. Often with the same consultant.

MBQ

[DerekG]

It used to be the case that there was one waiting list / queue to see the Consultant on the NHS, and then another waiting list for the NHS treatment you actually wanted.

The dodge was you could pay the specialist for a single private consultation (which may or may not have had any medical purpose) for

80 - 100 GBP or so and thereby avoid the first waiting list.

The "naughty" bit was that the Consultant acting in his own private capacity could refer patients for treatment at public expense quite possibly obtaining a pecuniary advantage for himself down the line.

It is certainly correct that in the private sector investigations (tests and scans) can often be arranged immediately in real time and operations done in half a week. This is our experience over four operations in three years.

The drag on the private system is that you still need to get a referral from your NHS GP. That might take as long as 3 to 5 weeks and he might still act as if the cost of your treatment was coming out of his budget.

DerekG

[Man at B&Q]

Why so long? That's totally unacceptable and I would be making a complaint.

We get same day appointment with the NHS GP and the referral letter takes no more than a day or two to be typed up. There's supposedly a =A325 charge for the letter but more often than not we are not asked to pay.

MBQ

[charles]

on Tuesday, I found I couldn't get to see a GP until a week later.