Operation cancelled 5 times

funnymonkey

Good afternoon.
I broke my collar bone 3weeks ago and need a plate fitted but keep getting cancelled by my local hospital. They keep saying there's more urgent people after being at the hospital all day and then being sent home.
Is there a limit to how often people can get cancelled as this seems a never ending cycle.
Is there anyone at the hospital that I should speak to to get this done?
Thank you

Floss

Hospitals are under a great deal of pressure, both staffing and resources, and every NHS hospital in England is bring asked to work at over 100% of pre-pandemic activity for no extra money.

Add that to walk-in & primary care centres not all functioning as they were pre-covid, patients who have to cancel a surgery due to illness, staff being on leave (needed for patient safety) or off sick, and 2 years of non-urgent conditions worsening to become more serious, and you have situations where a non-urgent surgery gets delayed.

The only thing I can suggest is calling the team who have been booking you in and asking for any late cancellations, or asking what happens if you don't get the plate (your collarbone will most likely be knitting anyway by now).

funnymonkey

Thank you for your advice. I feel that as you say the collarbone is beginning to knit in and I'm getting more use out from my arm, whilst in a sling.
My concern is that it forms abnormally or causes problems in the future.
Being a single working dad I'm also concerned about the financial impact as only getting SSP it's taking its toll too.
Thank you 

kirtondm

every NHS hospital in England is bring asked to work at over 100% of pre-pandemic activity for no extra money.

Unlike Primary care hospitals are paid per procedure / patient appointment so they will get more money for seeing more patients - The main problems is lack of clinical staff and theatre space which is why many areas are tendering out routine NHS surgery to private providers.

I am guessing you would not be suitable for one of these though?

Brie

Any chance getting your doctor's surgery on the case as well?  It will help if there is an official person chasing and it may be easier to annoy the surgery than the hospital to get you in asap.

Sncjw

Even if you do go into hospital you don't know where you are on the day list. As they say they have an emergency patient coming in. The orthopedic surgeon will work on all.bonea not just your collarbone. 

As bad as it is there are mor eurgent patients that come into a and e that requires surgery. 

Floss

kirtondm said:

every NHS hospital in England is bring asked to work at over 100% of pre-pandemic activity for no extra money.

Unlike Primary care hospitals are paid per procedure / patient appointment so they will get more money for seeing more patients No they don't, they are paid on performance-related block contracts with other Trusts in the area - The main problems is lack of clinical staff True and theatre space Not true - the majority of hospitals have theatre space but lack skilled clinical staff to utilise those theatres which is why many areas are tendering out routine NHS surgery to private providers. True during Covid but reducing now as private consultants return to their NHS work. 

This isn't actually correct.

Floss

funnymonkey said:

Thank you for your advice. I feel that as you say the collarbone is beginning to knit in and I'm getting more use out from my arm, whilst in a sling.
My concern is that it forms abnormally or causes problems in the future.
Being a single working dad I'm also concerned about the financial impact as only getting SSP it's taking its toll too.
Thank you 

It might form a lump where it has knitted, and may ache, according to my ex-husband who broke his being knocked off his motorbike. Check if you can self-refer for physio, which should help.

kirtondm

Re funding it must be an area thing or more likely I don't understand the intricacies but their is definitely a tarrif list for surgery and appointments.. Not all our providers have block contracts - The local NHS hospital has brought the local private hospital and has transferred s lot of routine surgery to the site on the private provider with an NHS contract pathway.

Rather than diminishing the private arm seems to be increasing around here with more surgical centres doing the surgical work. The consultants do Both.

PterionPterion

Floss said:

kirtondm said:

every NHS hospital in England is bring asked to work at over 100% of pre-pandemic activity for no extra money.

Unlike Primary care hospitals are paid per procedure / patient appointment so they will get more money for seeing more patients No they don't, they are paid on performance-related block contracts with other Trusts in the area - The main problems is lack of clinical staff True and theatre space Not true - the majority of hospitals have theatre space but lack skilled clinical staff to utilise those theatres which is why many areas are tendering out routine NHS surgery to private providers. True during Covid but reducing now as private consultants return to their NHS work. 

This isn't actually correct.

The private sector is growing with an imbalance in number of doctors.. Consultant numbers are difficult to track as some are moving towards more private work and less NHS, others leaving the NHS completely and a proportion leaving their salaried positions to return as locums costing even more!

Sncjw

Be best to contact the waiting list team as they are the ones who will sort you a date for surgery but emergencies will and can happen espically in orthopedics.