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[Jo001]

A man who lives along the road was telling me he has an eye condition (in both eyes) that, unless sorted within a certain period of time, will leave him blind. Whatever the NHS waiting time is, it's longer. So his choice is go private or go blind.

 

[Wooie1958]

I've been suffering from chronic Nasal Vestibilitis since last October, been into ENT at Blackpool Victoria numerous times and been given tonnes of oral anti-biotics
because they had no beds to keep me in for intravenous.

My GP did an urgent 2WW ( 2 week wait ) referral for a spot on my nose which he thinks is linked and stated on the form he thought it was possibly BCC ( Basal Cell Carcinoma ) on the 4th Feb 2026 and all i've had is a text message yesterday from the NHS asking if i wanted to stay on the waiting list or did i not need the appointment anymore ?

Seeing as i'm still here i said i want to stay on the waiting list.

My GP is going berserk about this

 

[barryd]

Well she is home now. However it still took two and a half hours to discharge her. We would still be there now if I hadn't gone and found the head nurse to find out what was taking so long. Apparently (according to her) the consultant had forgotten to send through the discharge letter. She was like lightening after that and gave us some good help and advice. It seems to me the staff are brilliant. Absolutely lovely but the consultants are all over the place but the killer seems to be the systems not talking to each other.

I did think about going private but when I looked into it, it was still going to take 3 to 6 weeks. Now we have no idea what is happening. She has to contact the stone clinic by the end of next week but the possibility of it being another three to four months is just not happening unless I can be convinced she is in no danger.

I quizzed the nurse about that and she said the thing to do is if you get ill is to go straight to A&E and they will be forced to treat you. What a state for the NHS to be in.

Michelle wants to go off to the Isle of Arran now. Its a helicopter ride to casualty from there.

 

[Val54]

Its the usual situation, face to face the staff are great, the systems they have to work with are rubbish. At least she is home and not stuck in a ward or corridor waiting and waiting. Sounds like you should be on the phone tomorrow until you get a prognosis and treatment plan going forward. Helicopter ride sounds good .

 

[barryd]

Its the usual situation, face to face the staff are great, the systems they have to work with are rubbish. At least she is home and not stuck in a ward or corridor waiting and waiting. Sounds like you should be on the phone tomorrow until you get a prognosis and treatment plan going forward. Helicopter ride sounds good .

I am going to collate it all tomorrow and go from there. Michelle thinks we should go back to her GP together as that was where the referral started. I'll probably also raise the full documented saga through the PALS system although we did contact them twice prior to this. Darlington PALS passed us onto South Teesside PALS and they never even got back to us.

 

[alcam]

I am going to collate it all tomorrow and go from there. Michelle thinks we should go back to her GP together as that was where the referral started. I'll probably also raise the full documented saga through the PALS system although we did contact them twice prior to this. Darlington PALS passed us onto South Teesside PALS and they never even got back to us.

Whatever way you do it Barry you'll have to make a fuss . I've been , mostly , fortunate with my NHS dealings . Unfortunately not everyone is

 

[barryd]

Whatever way you do it Barry you'll have to make a fuss . I've been , mostly , fortunate with my NHS dealings . Unfortunately not everyone is

Oh fear not. Thats a dead cert. Just concentrating on having a relaxing afternoon and evening for now for Michelle but I have absolutely nothing on my list of stuff to do next week right now but dealing with this nonsense.

 

[Val54]

I am going to collate it all tomorrow and go from there. Michelle thinks we should go back to her GP together as that was where the referral started. I'll probably also raise the full documented saga through the PALS system although we did contact them twice prior to this. Darlington PALS passed us onto South Teesside PALS and they never even got back to us.

Personally, I'd start with the consultant, their PA's are usually very helpful, especially if they know you've already been messed around. If that doesn't produce any results, then yes, M's own doctor should get involved and push some buttons. You never know, he/she may know the consultant.

 

[TJBi]

I am going to collate it all tomorrow and go from there. Michelle thinks we should go back to her GP together as that was where the referral started. I'll probably also raise the full documented saga through the PALS system although we did contact them twice prior to this. Darlington PALS passed us onto South Teesside PALS and they never even got back to us.

Probably a bit late now in this instance, but it's worth reading https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/your-choices-in-the-nhs/ and associated pages. My recollection is that somewhere in all the relevant pages I read that a GP is supposed to offer at least 3 choices (with the exception of emergency referrals, cancer referrals...).
A couple of years ago, my GP checked with me that our local major NHS hospital was convenient and referred me there. Six months later, and with probably at least another 12 months on the waiting list, I contacted the practice to point out that I had not been offered choices. I was immediately offered a referral to a private hospital (through the NHS). Consultation within two weeks and op within a further six weeks. After a long saga of appointments over very many months at our major NHS hospital, I persuaded my partner to point out to her GP practice that she had not been offered choices; again an immediate referral through the NHS to a private hospital and all sorted quite rapidly. It does seem that GPs are not offering choices as required and patients need to know (and exercise) their rights.

 

[barryd]

All useful info chaps thanks. I think she was offered two choices not three. I will track down the consultants PA and start there once I have built up the entire log of events.

 

[Fifer]

It is awful you & Michelle are going theough all this hassle for a procedure that should've happened ages ago. Here's hoping things will get sorted out sooner or later for you.

 

[REC]

@barryd I would also copy in the Pals departments ( both hospitals) with a log of events. And inform CQC...make sure you mark any email etc that you have informed CQC as although CQC don't deal with complaints, they will use them as evidence in inspections. Hospitals don't like that. So bad that you have to do this. Hope the consultant actually gets it sorted out for you and the damage is limited.

 

[barryd]

@barryd I would also copy in the Pals departments ( both hospitals) with a log of events. And inform CQC...make sure you mark any email etc that you have informed CQC as although CQC don't deal with complaints, they will use them as evidence in inspections. Hospitals don't like that. So bad that you have to do this. Hope the consultant actually gets it sorted out for you and the damage is limited.

Thanks. I had to google CQC. Thats a new one. We did contact PALS in Darlington and Middlesbrough. We never got a reply from Middlesbrough. I'm still preparing it all but Michelle has not wanted to deal with it today. She is still tired after getting no sleep in the hospital and the whole thing has stressed her out. It will get done this week though.

 

[alwaysared]

Thanks. I had to google CQC. Thats a new one. We did contact PALS in Darlington and Middlesbrough. We never got a reply from Middlesbrough. I'm still preparing it all but Michelle has not wanted to deal with it today. She is still tired after getting no sleep in the hospital and the whole thing has stressed her out. It will get done this week though.

I hope she feels better soon

Regards,
Del

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Yes, give your dear lady our bestest wishes.

 

[barryd]

Cheers. This is the problem though (well its not a problem) she doesn't feel ill. She is just living with a ticking time bomb though and damage has already been done.

 

[REC]

No consolation really, but we only need one functioning kidney. A friend had a scan for bladder problems and found she had been born with one kidney...never knew till in her fifties! Hope she gets resolution soon...quite understand how unsettling it all is.

 

[bartman]

Our eldest son was born with kidney problems - only one functioning at all, and that at reduced efficiency.
When he was 17 he needed a transplant, my wife and I both tested and her blood group was most compatible. She donated one of her kidneys, that was 24 years ago and both son and wife are fit and well.
So as has been said, if it comes to it we can live a perfectly normal life with only one kidney.
All the same, this worry is something you could both do without and I hope MrsB gets this resolved quickly

 

[Sharon the Cat]

Just catching up on this one Barry. I hope that Michelle gets what she needs as soon as possible and that the stress doesn't become too bad for her.

 

[barryd]

Thanks

A rather long and detailed reply covering all the shenanigans from 2022 onwards and this latest debacle has gone off to the PALS people (Patient Experience Team) at South Tees this afternoon and she is due to see her GP early next week also. I joined a Kidney stones FB group earlier and they have been quite helpful. It seems the thing to do is kick up a fuss. However there are some horrific stories on there. People literally in agony and at serious risk of Sepsis and possibly death literally been given pain killers and told to go home.