Hospital Cancellations.

[gness]

A friend was diagnosed, about five or six months ago, with a growth near her brain...they say is not immediately dangerous but as it is growing it should be removed in an operations taking about six hours.....

She finally got a date in September but the day before going into hospital (not local) a letter arrived telling her it's postponed and will be done on October 13th....going into hospital tomorrow.....

A letter arrived today postponing again with no new date.....

Is this normal these days......is it acceptable and is there any point in contacting PALS or the hospital direct?.....

This is distressing for a number of reasons....apart from the waiting worry.....

She lives alone.....has curtailed many activities including driving because of the dizzy spells being caused by the growth.....x

[Sqad]

Let's be clear here....scheduling a patient for operation is a complicated procedure.
1) There must be a bed available the day before operation and you don't know that until the day before operation. If there was, but there isn't now........your operation is cancelled.
2) There must be time on the operating list for the operation to be performed...a six hour operation would see of 2 consecutive lists. If an emergency came in.....your operation will be cancelled.
3)The Consultant MUST be available, if he is ill, on holiday, at a meeting.......then your operation will be cancelled.
4) The same for the Consultant Anaesthetist.
5) If there was an intensive care bed but is now taken....your operation is cancelled.

So you see, there could be many reasons for cancelling your operation.

Finally...once a decision is made to cancel an operation, it is the function of the administrative staff to contact the patient......I would not allow any of my lads to do it......they are far too valuable elsewhere.

[gness]

Thank you, Sqad......but much as I love you nothing you say will convince me that this is acceptable.....can't be improved upon and that even if you wouldn't allow your lads..and lassies....to make a phone call somebody should.....at least when it happens more than once....x

[Peter Pedant]

Yes it is worth contacting PALS
which didnt exist in Sqad's day so it is not surprising he is not sure how and where the work

The reasons for cancellations are many
I got in on the day ( hip ) and they couldnt find a bed to put me in post op
in your frenz case - there could be a shortage of ITU or neuro beds - and even I would draw the line at 'o that is OK I will sleep on the floor'

[ChillDoubt]

Sadly, this is a daily occurrence. Only this afternoon a patient awaiting a large bowel operation in the Theatre I was working in had their procedure cancelled due to lack of a bed for them to go into post-operatively.
The cold weather hasn't even started yet and there is a sense of impending doom amongst all grades of NHS staff i.e. the predictions will be correct, this will be the worst winter ever for the NHS.

[gness]

Hi, Chill.....it's frustrating and must be for all.....

Though I can be exasperated or joke about it we really shouldn't be accepting of these situations....we are not a poor country....we could afford to have better care than this but while we accept the reasons Sqad gives and sit back and take it nothing will change.....x