It has been brought to my attention, that as part of the NHS cost cutting measures, a leading London Gynaecologist has been told to discharge all of his patients and reassess their need to see him one by one.
This is yet another terrifying assault on the sick and disabled, which, if replicated around the country, would cause great distress and anxiety. The doctor himself is apologetic and dismayed that he needs to put his patients though this.
If you've ever fought long years for a diagnosis or needed to be referred on for more specialist care at a large city hospital outside of your own health authority, this shakes the very foundations of your care, the very covenant you hold with the NHS. Relationships are built up over many years with a good consultant and any threat to that can be like the threat of losing a partner.
Will patients be re-assessed on need or cost?
Will patients be re-assessed on need or on where they live?
**If you have experienced a similar process at your hospital or under any form of specialist care, please let me know in the comments below, or by contacting me on Facebook (Sue Marsh) or Twitter (@suey2y).
Finally, please make sure this reaches the widest possible audience by clicking on the Facebook or Twitter buttons below or at the top right of this article. Ask friends that you know receive specialist care. This must not become a UK wide process.
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ReplyDeleteOne patient just told me they have had a phone call from their doctor to enquire whether she really needs to be taking the expensive antacid she uses, despite knowing the cheaper alternative gave her an allergic reaction.
ReplyDeleteOya's Daughter - I just deleted your post by mistake, I'm so sorry. Nothing sinister, just slippy finger syndrome.
ReplyDeleteSue,
ReplyDeleteHave tweeted it and emailed it :) I hope it gets passed on
This isn't cost-cutting, it is undermining the professionalism of consultants. If patients are to be seen on the grounds of need, then the consultant's original decision should not be questioned. This is all about destroying the NHS, which is something the Tories have always wanted. It must be stopped. If just one woman suffers unnecessarily as a result of the delay caused by this ghastly edict then Cameron and his motley crew should be held personally accountable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eoin.
ReplyDeleteEssois - even if it were done routinely at all forthcoming appointments, it would be one thing, but to discharge then re take-on??
Bonkers and surely an expensive waste of a professional's time?
No worries:
ReplyDeleteI'm just completely floored - I have had to fight for quite a while not to be written off as a hypochondriac, first light at the end of the tunnel I've seen as a specialist actually believes what I'm saying and does want me to come in, but first I need to convince my GP to give me a referral. That alone makes no sense - if I can talk to the specialist line, they really do think I need to come in, why do I need to beg and tug my forelock to a GP first?
But if on top of that I finally get settled in and show some improvement, am I going to be told I must be better? There's no cure for many of these ailments and if they improve, great, it means the care is working! Surely that must mean stopping the care would be a very bad idea?!
There's no dedicated lupus team in the area - again, after womaning the phone yesterday to try and find some help I once again had it confirmed how surprising little there is for any disabled person in my area and this isn't a small village! - so if I want treatment I have to go to this clinic, end of. Otherwise, it's just more pain medication being piled on and being told to "cheer up". A positive outlook isn't going to keep the renal failure away, kthnx.
I moved to be closer to my specialist, who is one of only 4 in the country, a year later he had retired, and the nhs had used his retirement as an excuse to close his entire clinic, sack all his team (baby docs, physios, podiatrists, surgeons.. everyone) so now my only choices (speaking of choices.. the choose and book sytem is a WASTE of money if you ask me, there are never any appropriate choices listed!) are hundreds of miles away. Non of his patients were informed, I only found out as another patient was kind enough to email me his I'm-off email... And now I'm under investigation for a related illness which should have been investigated by him and his team over a year ago an was not, so clearly there was a need atleast in my case to keep the clinic going (No struggling to find other patients either their waiting list was epic)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with Oya's daughter, as always :) x
I read on ceefax that doctors will be paid a premium for taking people of medication ?
ReplyDeleteNHS AND DAVE'S ASSAULT
I think I mentioned in another comment somewhere that my GP asked me to change to a cheaper brand of some of the pain meds I have to take. The reason I was on easy to swallow ones was because I was having break the cheaper ones to bits to swallow them or risk choking and throwing up. I gave in, as I supposed it wasn't worth the hassle of being nagged at every time I wanted a repeat prescription.
ReplyDeleteWhen one of my specialists recommended I see another about my deteriorating condition my GP gave me the lecture on cost and spending cuts. I found out later she'd written a very nasty letter to my neurosurgeon about me, but he'd asked to see me anyway. She's now whining that my neurosurgeon has asked I be referred to a Urologist. The GP surgery just doesn't have the money and will be asking me if I really 'feel it's worthwhile' no doubt. I've got a telephone appointment next week.
God I pray they wont reassess my botox - I have to have it - and i do NOT want to be sent to London where i still have PTSE about that first time he did it (then told me it didnt hurt but leaving me a bruise on me for a MONTH)
ReplyDeleteThis scares me - without this i would rather have the limb amputated - i cant deal with that specialist again :-(
I guess this is an example of how the Tories will guarantee the smooth runnuning of our NHS and protect frontline services - just so long as you aren't sick, disabled or a woman!
ReplyDeleteRead my blog at http://bit.ly/eLwJ9
Stupidity and then more stupidity! Who on earth had this 'bright idea'? Do they really imagine that having loaded over-pressed departments with more paperwork on top of yet more paperwork on Consultants' departments who ALREADY struggle with the paperwork on top of TREATING PEOPLE will honestly result in people being discovered to be well enough to be handled by their GPs? GPs who, however clued up, are already NOT ALLOWED to request certain procedures or to prescribe certain medicines! And with complete and utter disregard for the distress -let alone increased illness/sickness/pain/physical-agony/risk-of-complications of the patients who probably waited YEARS to get referred to a suitable professional in the first place...
ReplyDeleteAnd has it not occurred to whoever DID come up with this that Consultants generally DISCHARGE patients once they are cured, their condition is 'controlled' and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, or beyond the Consultant's best help - oh, or dead?
I could scream, except that it comes out as a whimper when I try...
xJ (waiting for a referral to a very-specialist Consultant-led Department - such a patient patient...)