Average NHS waiting lists

[slinkycat]

Is there such a thing as a site that gives you approximate waiting time for surgery in a specific area?

I'm asking because my Dad has been waiting for cataract surgery for 9 months, each time he sees a specialist or consultant they tell him that he is a priority because his eyes are so bad, BUT he is still waiting.

He is becoming very depressed about the whole thing, any info welcome

[Mamyalynne]

I am not sure if there is such a site, but in this instance get your Dad's GP to write to the Consultant stressing the depression and how it is affecting his life. Good luck with it Slinky.

[Philtaz]

Waiting times differ from trust to trust. I've heard that some can be up to a year, unfortunately. Where I work the waiting time for that op is roughly 6 months.

I think a call to the Opthalmic department of your local hospital wouldn't be a bad idea, just to ask if they can give you an idea as to when the op might occur. Clerical errors do occur and he may have slipped down the list a little.

Best of luck.

[Buenchico]

Hi Slinky!

Go here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Ser....aspx?TreatmentID=148
Enter your father's postcode. That will find all hospitals within a 50 mile radius offering cataract surgery, with their current waiting times. (To restrict or extend the radius, use the drop down menu and hit 'Enter').

Chris

[slinkycat]

Thanks Mamya, but he has been pointing out to the consultant for the last few months about how he can't drive, can't see the tv etc to no avail, and I am becoming worried about his mental state.

[slinkycat]

Philtaz, yes he did slip through the net due to an administrative error grrr, but he finally had his pre op two weeks ago and has heard nothing since!

[Mamyalynne]

Slinky well I have just used the site Buenchico posted and my local hospital states 15 weeks from GP referral to treatment. so it seems too long for Dad to wait.

I do sympathise with him too, I have acute open angle Glaucoma and know how a loss of vision impacts on everything you do.

[Philtaz]

If he's had his pre-op slink it shouldn't be long but 'errors' can still occur.

A friendly inquisitive phone call might maintain his spot at the top of the pile though.....

Best of luck.

[slinkycat]

Chris thanks for that, apparently my local hospital has a 9 week turn around for cataract surgery, obviously that is not happening!

[Sir Alec]

I had to have an endoscopy. I wasn't looking forward to it, who does. After waiting 6 months, the usual waiting time for one, I phoned the hospital who informed me that I was not on the list. A mistake on their part. I had to wait another three months just for the pleasure of the experience, which was just as vile as I'd imagined!

[Eve]

Waiting times can be long (my gastro consultant's is 10 months) but it's worth checking. I waited ages for an appointment before I rang and asked as I was worried an appointment letter could have got lost in the post or something. Turns out they had "lost me on the system" somehow so just as well I checked. Test results diagnosing a condition had been received about 6 months beforehand which they had also missed so I could have been treated a lot earlier.

I had an MRI scan booked for last November. I had to postpone it as my nan died and it was her funeral. I waited and waited for another appointment and finally rang up to ask as I was worried my gastro appointment would come through without it. Turns out they had cancelled it by accident and it then had to go back through the consultant to re-order it and they hadn't booked in a consultant's appointment as they were waiting for the MRI scan. I finally had the MRI scan in July and now don't have a gastro appointment until December.

I had a rhumatology appointment last week and my consultant was asking why it took me so long to come back and see her as my joints were so bad, turns out I had an appointment booked, which I never received notice of, last March, they assumed I hadn't attended as I was feeling better so put it back another 7 months to October but my GP got them to bring it forward to last week. This could have been a post problem though.

I figure things can get missed especially with it being such a large hospital but it is frustrating. In my experience, ring and doublecheck things (I should have a lot more than I did) as you never know.