NHS Policies has got me wound right up

MrsManda

WhiteHorse wrote: »

That's very interesting. So, if for whatever reason, you can't get through the system in the designated target time, they simply solve the problem by throwing you out the system..

This is nonsense. Yes, there is the 18 week system which says that 95% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to completion of treatment. BUT the 'clock' can be paused if the patient refuses the first three appointments offered to them (due to any circumstances) and restarted once the patient attends an appointment or it can be stopped if the patient does not attend the initial appointment. If the patient doesn't attend any other appointments then the clock can also be stopped.
Therefore they drop out of the 18-week system and don't affect the hospital's statistics. This doesn't mean the patient has to get kicked out of the appointments system, it just means that the hospital isn't penalised for not getting the patient through referral to treatment conclusion within the 18 weeks when it is the patient who has caused the delay.

However it also possible to stop the clock by kicking the patient back to the GP providing this won't be deterimental to the clincial wellbeing of the patient, it is inline with Local guidance and the Local guidance is clearly defined and agreed by all major stakeholders. But these are local decisions, not central government ones.

WhiteHorse

MrsManda wrote: »

Yes, there is the 18 week system which says that 95% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to completion of treatment.

BUT the 'clock' can be paused if the patient refuses the first three appointments offered to them (due to any circumstances) and restarted once the patient attends an appointment or it can be stopped if the patient does not attend the initial appointment.

But they prefer instead to get rid of people.

Therefore they drop out of the 18-week system and don't affect the hospital's statistics.

Which is the object of the exercise.

... when it is the patient who has caused the delay.

Hmmm. The patient is always the problem?

What of cancellations for 'operational reasons' (common NHS-speak for 'We have an outbreak of MRSA or C.diff and are trying to keep it quiet").

However it also possible to stop the clock by kicking the patient back to the GP ...

Revealing phraseology.

... it is inline with Local guidance and the Local guidance is clearly defined and agreed by all major stakeholders. But these are local decisions, not central government ones.

All these things find their origin in central government, whether through the medium of official notes or through informal 'guidance'.

MrsManda

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Hmmm. The patient is always the problem?
What of cancellations for 'operational reasons' (common NHS-speak for 'We have an outbreak of MRSA or C.diff and are trying to keep it quiet").

In the case of 'operational reasons' as you put it, the clock doesn't stop.

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Revealing phraseology.

Mine, I'm not a staff member of the NHS but I believe the official phraseology is 'discharged to their GP's care'

The point I was trying to make was that the 18 weeks Referral to Treatment system is not something which makes NHS Trusts discharge patients who miss appointments. Though I accept that some may use it as an excuse.

krisskross

My husband is immuno supressed because of the drugs he takes for rheumatoid arthritis. He also catches everything going. In fact he is having a course of antiobiotics now for a nasty chest infection.

He has an appointment tomorrow morning with rheumatology to try a new pain controlling treatment. No chance at all that he will miss it. He would crawl there on his hands and knees however ill he feels for the chance of alleviating his pain. I suppose it depends how bad the pain is.

Mupette

krisskross wrote: »

My husband is immuno supressed because of the drugs he takes for rheumatoid arthritis. He also catches everything going. In fact he is having a course of antiobiotics now for a nasty chest infection.

He has an appointment tomorrow morning with rheumatology to try a new pain controlling treatment. No chance at all that he will miss it. He would crawl there on his hands and knees however ill he feels for the chance of alleviating his pain. I suppose it depends how bad the pain is.

what if he had flu? and was contagious

Trialia

krisskross wrote: »

I suppose it depends how bad the pain is.

No, not really. I'd try just about anything to control my pain from my HEDS and fibromyalgia, but when I have a migraine, I can't move my head, let alone my whole body to go somewhere that will trigger me worse (lots of sound and fluorescent lighting at the doctor's). Just can't.

absolutebounder

I charge a lot of money for appts and it is very rare someone misses. I wonder why

Mupette

absolutebounder wrote: »

I charge a lot of money for appts and it is very rare someone misses. I wonder why

wouldn't make a difference to me if i had an appointment with you and i was too ill then i still would not be able to attend.

krisskross

Mupette wrote: »

what if he had flu? and was contagious

True flu is not something you get often. I have had it twice in my life. He has the flu injection each year.

And all that stuff about not going to hospital because you don't want to risk passing on infections to neonates. How many of these do you see in a pain clinic? Do you not think that a hospital is stuffed to the rafters with people with nasty infections?

Unity

absolutebounder wrote: »

I charge a lot of money for appts and it is very rare someone misses. I wonder why

Yes, but you haven't said what these appointments are for :cool:. You could be giving deportment lessons to beauty pageant wannabees, or you might even be Belle du Jour in disguise - we don't know :rotfl:.:rotfl:

krisskross wrote: »

True flu is not something you get often. I have had it twice in my life. He has the flu injection each year.

And all that stuff about not going to hospital because you don't want to risk passing on infections to neonates. How many of these do you see in a pain clinic? Do you not think that a hospital is stuffed to the rafters with people with nasty infections?

Yet you see it as a good thing to add even more infections to the mix - that's just brilliant :T :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:. The barrier nursing teams will love you for advocating this - as the way forward!

It's not that long ago that some people, myself included were advised by their GP not to have the Swine flu jab, since being immuno suppressed, we were thought to be at risk from Guillain-Barre syndrome.

What the NHS needs to realise is, to quote the 60's TV cult classic "The Prisoner", "We are not numbers" etc. etc. Furthermore all the sweeping generalisations from those lucky enough to always keep appointments shows no sympathy for those less fortunate.

Like Oscar the Grouch, I have been lucky enough to keep all my appointments - well, apart from the one I received by post on the day after I should have attended .