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

[woofgang]

Yes there is definitely a point to contacting PALS. At very very least they can give your friend the complete story about why the cancellations and so on.

[gness]

Thank you, Woof.....she was told at the beginning that if there were emergencies her appointment could be cancelled, which of course she accepts.....

But both cancelled the day before she was to be admitted is strange....x

[Sqad]

Operations are not cancelled on a "whim"....the boys don't stand at the bar in a pub and say "Now who can we cancel for tomorrows' operating lists." Emergencies come in at "anytime" and take up beds which were available but are no longer available.
Yes...it is distressing both for Drs and patients....this is state medicine (NHS)
What has it got to do with PALS and who are they anyway? or better still, who do they think they are?
Clearly your friends condition is not seen to be urgent by the medical staff, otherwise she would not have been canceled.

[woofgang]

I cannot remember the roolz or if they have changed but I think that there used to be something about it being less bad to cancel the day before...badder to cancel on the day and really bad to send someone home before the procedure and after they have been admitted.

[gness]

Thank you, Sqad...perhaps operations aren't cancelled on a whim.....but I do have far too much experience of hospitals to know the way the NHS works...and doesn't work.....so your first scenario wouldn't surprise me one little bit......depending on the golfing weather....
And medical staff can be wrong...very wrong about the urgency of a condition....sadly I know that too well....x

[Sqad]

gness......ALL Drs make mistakes, but unfortunately they are often in daily situations when they have to make serious and critical decisions.
They do so on the basis of their experience and with the best evidence available............sometimes good decisions, other times...not so good.
That is life in the medical world.

[woofgang]

sqad, I would LOVE to believe that what you said is always true. I know from personal experience that in today's NHS it is not. PALS are the patient advice and liaison service. They assist people through the complaints process and can help get to the facts in cases like this

[gness]

Of course we all make mistakes, Sqad and when you do you say...I'm really sorry....I made a mistake.....lets sort it....

When careless, cocky, I know best attitudes cause that mistake and then it's covered up with lies all trust is lost....x

Thanks, Woof...x

[anneasquith]

Sometimes all that would have been required was " I'm sorry,I got it wrong " .

[Sqad]

gness.....we are not discussing "cocky Drs" we are discussing why your friend's operation was canceled.....so let me have a wild guess, based on your OP.
She has what is known as an acoustic neuroma, a slowly growing benign tumour of one of the main cranial nerves which may grow into the brain......may.....months or years on.....not cancer. After operation she will need an intensive care bed which was available when she was called for admission, but is now filled by a RTA (Road traffic accident), so going ahead with her procedure would have given her inferior post operative care.
So, to maintain high NHS standards her operation was postponed.
Yes.....I am guessing.....but it is a likely scenario.

PALS...great as long as they kept out of my way and didn't hinder my care for my patients.

[woofgang]

sqad if you are providing proper patient care, it will be as if they don't exist....in all my working years, the only times I contacted them was because a patient had a problem with a different department and needed their help

[Sqad]

woofgang.....in my mind, they didn't exist.

[fbg40]

gness
Not sure where to start this but will have a go. In September last year I was told I needed an endoscopy and an appointment would be sent. (That's it in a nutshell) To cut to the chase, I contacted PALS as I was unhappy with the "service" I was getting. It wasn't until April of this year that I got a definite answer from PALS. When I mentioned this to my GP her answer was "I'm not surprised". I never did have the endoscopy. I eventually received a two page letter from the CEO of the hospital concerned apologising for the "delay". So, to answer your question, I would not bother with PALS. I know they vary from Hospital to Hospital but please check first to see if anybody you know has "used" them. Good luck
FBG40

[gness]

Thanks, FBG.....I have no experience of PALS.....and no experience of the hospital she will be attending......well perhaps.....

I do have a good few letters of apology filed away though....but only from after the inquest findings.... :-)

Did you not worry not having the endoscopy?...x

[fbg40]

Gness
No I didn't worry about the endoscopy - as things turned out my "problem" seemed to disappear of it's own accord and, luckily, has not returned. My GP was (and still is !) quite happy with the situation. Thanks for asking.
FBG40

[gness]

Well that's good, Fbg.....like finally making an appointment with your GP and your symptoms disappear the night before... :-)

Friend just called for a chat......to make matters worse she'd got lots of family visiting tonight for a good luck or goodbye visit so she'd bought three packets of mini rolls....she's dieting and doesn't have cake and biscuits in.....
Put off the family visits till next time....looked at the mini rolls.... thought.....***.....and ate four....
I shall call in tomorrow and remove the rest.... ;-)

[Barsel]

Hi gness, sorry to hear about your friend. I know it's of no comfort, but just lately I have heard of so many 'incidents' shall we say, of people, including myself, who have been let down by the NHS. I used PALS once when I was unhappy about one of the hospital depts, and they arranged a meeting between myself and the consultant so I could air my grievances and she apologised. Not sure it made any difference, but at least I got to tell her. So, it might be worth your friend contacting them just to see if they can help in any way. x

[Cloverjo]

I suppose it's worth trying PALS, but we didn't get any joy from them when we concerned about the aftercare following my mum's operation.

I hope things get done soon, gness.

[gness]

Thanks, Barsel and Clover.....I spoke to her again and she's calm and resigned......I doubt she'll do anything she may consider causing a fuss.

I see what the months of waiting are doing to her.....and despite being told it's benign you couldn't help but worry about surgery on the brain....and now there's the thought.....will it be postponed a third time....

Emergencies happen but I'm suspicious of two postponements arriving by letter the day before admission......
I'm more inclined to think....let's book this woman in just in case we have a bed on that date.....if we don't we'll send the standard due to unforeseen letter......

But then I'm not the biggest fan of how the NHS runs itself..... :-)

[sunny-dave]

I once proposed that any surgical cancellation with less than a week's notice would have to be directly communicated to the patient by the head of the team responsible for the operation.

This was not a popular idea with the Consultants - although one or two of them (off the record) said that it would radically reduce the number of 'last minute' cancellations, as scheduling would get a great deal 'smarter' ...