Nhs 18 week rule

fifitrix123

Does anyone have more info regarding the 18 week rule?

I had an appt with a consultant on 20th October where we discussed an operation.
Last week I was told by his secretary that because of the breach of patient waiting times I was being referred to a private hospital next door but the same surgeon would still be doing the operation.

Clearly I was delighted as I had been told a friend had died of MRSA in the NHS hospital I was meant to be going to and she had a much smaller operation although in the same place.

2 days later they tell me I have been "thrown back" at the NHS hospital because the operation is going to take too long to do in a private hospital????
Does this mean if it takes too long do they leave you open and send you back to the ward to do it when they have more time!!!!
Or do they mean they have realised it will cost them too much?

They have now given me a date of 30th March which will be 23 weeks from my last appt with the consultant.

The NHS 18 week rule website clearly states that a patient cannot be refused treatment at a private hospital, but the NHS hospital say they have now rearranged everyones appts to get me in on the 30th but I really do not believe this at all.
How come everyone else who was referred over for taking longer than 18 weeks has been accepted at the private one and only 2 of us have been refused? No one will give me an answer apart from the timing aspect?

My BP and stress levels are through the roof now as I am nervous about hospitals as it is but was much calmer about going private if MRSA is about!

Does anyone have any real answers for this please?

barksdale

18 weeks is a target and is not legally binding. The current "operational standards" are 90% within 18 weeks for patients requiring hospital admission and 95% for all others.

There could be a number of very good reasons for them choosing not to treat you at a private hospital. I was personally referred to a private hospital for a minor surgery but referred back to an NHS hospital after tests suggested that I may have a weak heart - the NHS hospital had better expertise and equipment on hand so they chose to play it safe. Longer surgeries have more complex anaesthesia requirements, so it may be the case that they are choosing to perform the surgery at a larger and better equipped hospital to make sure that the anaesthesia is as safe as possible.

I understand your concerns about MRSA, but it remains a relatively rare problem. No hospital can completely avoid infection risks but most do an excellent job of reducing them to the absolute minimum. Larger hospitals will have more MRSA cases simply because they treat many more patients and because they treat the most seriously ill people.

Everyone in the NHS hates missing targets, so I hope you can believe me when I say they they would only delay your surgery for a very good reason.

fifitrix123

Thanks for the advice, I am so nervous anyway and then to be messed about for no real reason is not good especially when they promise to "call you later" and then wait 5 days to call you!!!
Would still prefer to go private tho and the secretary is now agreeing with me that there is no real reason so I am going to hold out.

bcl999

I went on the waiting list in early May and didn't have my op until November, well past 18 weeks. I was initially given a date for a private hospital but then it was switched back to NHS. I was disappointed but just thankful i was getting my op somewhere. It's a case of what you don't know, you won't miss. If I had never been given the original date, I would never have thought I'd be sent private. But if they give a date for private and then take it away, you feel as if you're missing out. I appreciate your concerns about hospital infections as my Mum died of pneumonia after being admitted for a hip replacement.

Looking back, I think the NHS bed helped me recover quicker. I was desperate to get home as it really wasn't a very pleasant experience e.g. night staff had to wear their overcoats as the place turned so cold at night, I didn't have much confidence in some of the health care assistants, I can't sleep with any light and there was always lights on (never thought to take an eyemask with me). If the private place was more comfortable, I might have been there longer!

Errata

fifitrix123 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, I am so nervous anyway and then to be messed about for no real reason is not good especially when they promise to "call you later" and then wait 5 days to call you!!!
Would still prefer to go private tho and the secretary is now agreeing with me that there is no real reason so I am going to hold out.

If you want to be treated in the private hospital and cared for in the same way as the NHS one, ask if you will be moved PDQ to NHS if something untoward happens. Ask if there is a doctor on-site during evenings, nights and early mornings or will you be moved PDQ to the NHS if you need one during those periods.
It's always better to be able to make an informed choice, and those questions will help you to do so.

fifitrix123

Thanks guys for the replies, BC it sounds like you had a hell time! It wasn't the Walsgrave was it?
My MP is now looking into it for me, I will be grateful for the op at last but not if I get MRSA as the last time I went in there I stared at a yellow licquorice allsort for a week as the cleaners missed it each time and that is a huge sweetie!!!
I have been private before and believe me the treatment is a lot different as is the way you are treated!!!
Some staff I found it hard to understand at all!!!
I guess all will be reveiled next week as no one has let me know for another week! :mad:

bcl999

No, it was a London hospital. As it turned out, the cleaning was one of the things that seemed to be taken seriously. Every day there was someone round brushing the floors and then someone following behind mopping them. (I didn't have any liquorice allsorts to test their thoroughness!) The TV units above the beds were wiped down regularly. However, despite signs at the end of every bed, the only staff member who used the hand sanitiser was the girl from the hospital pharmacy when she came to see me about my medication.

Hope you get good news next week.

Errata

If a hospital doesn't have lots of signs all over the place saying something like "We'll be really pleased if you ask us if we've washed our hands" - ask it why.

OnTheUp_2-2

As far as I was aware you have the right to Choose and Book at your choice of hospital. That's what I did and they give you a code to go online and it gives available dates.

Naturally they may be a longer wait at some but ultimately the choice is yours. I picked a hospital 28 miles away for my op!! I wouldn't have touched the two local hospitals!!

Don't be afraid to ask nurses to do their hands in front of you and if someone is coming with you get them to wipe down your bed and chair while your under

solodanceparty

You make the staff in the NHS sound like they never shower.

You seem to think so highly of private healthcare, yet most of you aren't apart of a private scheme. If you're so scared of dying in an NHS hospital maybe you should look into paying for your treatment.

fifitrix123

solodance
I did say I would pay but they say they cannot do it by passing me from NHS so how can they do it if I pay?
I have paid tax for years and years for healthcare so why should I pay extra now just so foreigners can get NHS care?
Wonder y u called solodanceparty?