NHS Policies has got me wound right up

Mupette

I've been taken on by the local pain clinic to help me with my needs

Brilliant i thought, first appointment, i had to cancel due to ill health, when i get a cold or flu i am really ill, 2nd 3rd and 4th appointment unfortunately i had to cancel all due to ill health.

So a few days ago i get a very snotty letter telling me i had been removed from the list and if i need their services i would have to go back to my gp and ask to go back on the list again.

I had explained to the secretary why each time i had to cancel, that i was housebound and found it difficult at the best of times to get out and about, but made every effort when it was hospital/clinic appointments, heck i would even get a taxi because these appointments are there to help me.

She kept saying it was NHS Trust policy that if you miss 3 appointments then thats it you need to be referred again by the gp.

I asked her, what about the 1000's of people like me with low immune systems that pick up all kinds of things who are genuinely ill and cannot make these appoinments, it's unfortunate that all 4 appointments made for me i was too ill to go, plus the pain clinic is in a hospital and i didn't want to bring my germs to a hospital, she made a coment that i would not of been turned away.

What, excuse me, your saying it is ok to bring your germs into a hospital, that has newborns neonatal etc.... yes she said.

I told her that i was unhappy with their decision, and i wish to complain.

i contacted pals and told them what was going on, i told her i felt vicimised, that there was a flaw in the policy that does not think of people with low immune systems, who catch colds and flu and can become quite ill with it.

Example, i've had this cold for 2 weeks now when it should only be a few days, and it is only a cold..

I was very surprised by her reaction but happy someone understood.

She was shocked that i had been dumped when there was a duty of care that was being neglected just because i cancelled 4 appointments due to no fault of my own.

The allowing of people who are sick with germs to spread being allowed into a hospital

She agreed there was a problem where if you are genuinely ill shouldnt be treated as someone who couldnt be bothered to go.

Every time i go to this one particular hospital something happens, i fought them before and managed to get the consent form changed when they bodged an operation on me, another operation i caught a virus in the operating theare...

I can't go to another painclinic, this is my nearest, and its not about this hospital, its about beeing too ill on 4 different occations that i couldnt go, its sods law, but genuine.

At last i have someone on my side who saw the problem.
What do i want from this, cash no, i want to be reinstated on the list where i was, an apology and a trigger so if i am too ill to attend an appointment they know not to kick me off the list.

I can't be the only person in the country that has had to cancel due to ill health, i do understand that there are other people that need this treatment just as much as me..
but kicking me off a list because i was too ill to attend an appointment is just taking the micky

Reminds me when i was a temp a few years ago for the nhs, i got sacked becaue i had to much time off for hospital appointments, even though when they took me on i fully explained what, where and why....

Has anyone else been kicked off a list for being too ill to attend, i know i am not on my own.

Trialia

Ugh, yes! Mid Staffs PCT did the same to me a few years ago, when I had happened to be unwell with the flu and two migraines over three psychiatric appointments in succession. It's a stupid guideline, frankly.

TOBRUK

Hi, I think it is a policy that is adopted throughout the NHS. I had a letter for an appointment in outpatients with a consultant for beginning of January. I telephoned to say that I was having major surgery end of December so couldn't attend so early after. There was a lovely person on the phone who told me that she would leave it for a couple of months before sending me another appointment (if I thought it would be best) because of the new policy they have which is that if you cancel 3 appointments then you have to be referred again.

I had never heard of this before, but I think they have so many who cancelled last minute or just didn't turn up that this policy has come in. I can understand why they have done it but I think if people cancel for a very good reason or within enough time so they can give someone else an appointment it would be better to take each case into account.

My nephew is a doctor and a long time ago he used to say about the number of appointments where people didn't turn up at clinic - it was shocking!

Zziggi

Mupette wrote: »

Brilliant i thought, first appointment, i had to cancel due to ill health, when i get a cold or flu i am really ill, 2nd 3rd and 4th appointment unfortunately i had to cancel all due to ill health.

You didn't "miss" any of the appointments - you cancelled them due to illness. therefore you have no t"missed" any appointments. Speak to the secretary & ask for the next available appointment.

WhiteHorse

As usual, it's a policy that started well, but went horribly wrong. It was originally aimed at timewasters, of which there are unfortunately a large number.

Now it's applied wildly to all and sundry, without wit or commonsense.

[Deleted User]

Our local hospital refers you back to your gp if you miss just one appt(the original one),the really stupid thing is that they now have a central appts centre for about 4 hospitals and if your gp writes to the consultant with a queery its answered with an appt for the patient to see the consultant.
very odd

Trialia

TOBRUK wrote: »

I had never heard of this before, but I think they have so many who cancelled last minute or just didn't turn up that this policy has come in. I can understand why they have done it but I think if people cancel for a very good reason or within enough time so they can give someone else an appointment it would be better to take each case into account.

Trouble with me is, if I am unable to make it, it is always a last-minute thing. I don't know the day beforehand that I'm going to wake up with a migraine or I'm going to have such a bad night the night before that I sleep through my alarm. That's why the system is flawed, to a point: an unexpected level of illness is treated as a default on an appointment even if it wasn't that you didn't attend because you forgot, or didn't bother.

MrsManda

I'm sorry you've had such a time and come across such unhelpful people.
There is no way, even taking into consideration the overarching missed appointments policy that you should have to be re-referred. Providing you have valid reasons for missing an appointment, you should be able to just rearrange. Reading your post I presume you/someone on your behalf has called on the day to tell them why you've not attended?
I missed one appointment as I was having emergency surgery in another department (same hospital) and did get told I'd have to get another referral but this was changed when I pointed out that I couldn't attend due to illness.
Have you complained? Did PALS go through the complaints procedure with you?
When things like this happen it's important to put the problem on paper and send it to the Trust's board. Either you get an apology and it gets sorted in house. Or you get a letter saying that's the policy so tough. If you get the first answer great If you get the second you need to contact your regional Strategic Health Authority patient involvement co-ordinator and tell them about it. They have overall responibility but if they don't know about an issue they can't do anything about it.

Mupette

only spoken to pals yesterday, who kindly said i could email all what has happened to me with this and she can go from there for me, but pals is about to go and start the complaints procedure for me.

Yes i was the one who called on the day or the day before the appointment to cancel and explain i was ill (usually a cold or flu) to be told that yes i didn't sound well at all.

I think it is time this policy gets looked at and have a overhaul and seeing as i can not work at the moment i might as well try to put myself to some good use and see what we can do about this.

We can't help being ill, and we should not be treated like the time wasters they are assuming we are.

sheeps68

Oh yes I know this one. I was referred to dental hospital for basic dental care due to health issues making me to complex dangerous for local dentist. Asthma & breathing stuff. 2 cancellations a couple of days before as ill once in hospital a second. The third I collapsed with massive attack on route to appt actually in the hospital and was rushed into resus. Yes you've guessed it! Off the books 3 failed appts not giving a working weeks notice.
Now found special dentist who did most wprk but extraction had to be at hospital and was told thats one fail and you're out. The doctor was sympathetic and told me to ring her direct and she'd alter appt.

Unity

Having read through the posts here, I'm just wondering if there is not a case to answer under the Disability Discrimination Act? Effectively you are being discriminated against for being ill, as fibro is recognised as a disabling condition by the World Health Organisation - even though many GPs don't believe it exists :eek:.

My mother was sent a very snotty letter for missing an appointment with her oncologist. I did however write in with an explanation and an apology that she hadn't managed to get there - due to being dead . You couldn't make it up :rotfl:.