GP Stitches removal refusal.

Pwd1690

Because of the very lengthy hospital waiting lists and the effect of not being able to get a knee replacement on my every day life we opted to find the money to go privately.
To the hospital which the closest to us is Aberdeen which is a two hour drive each way.
The operation is planned for the 20th May and so as to avoid the 4 hour round trip after knee surgery i went to my local GP surgery and told them about the operation. 
I asked do I need to book to get mystitches out.
They said they would not do that as I had gone privately.
I am 71 and my wife is 76, We have managed to fund the operation ourselfs having saved the NHS a huge amount of money and not going on the waiting list and the Local NHS surgery refuse to remove the stitches.  

BridgetTheCat

That’s awful! My mum had her hip replaced privately last year in Glasgow. The surgeon referred her back to her GP for physio and aftercare, including removing the stitches.

Did you get a referral from your GP to go private? Mum’s surgeon asked for that so that her care would be joined up.

tacpot12

I think it is upto the surgery to devise their own policy on post-operative care for privately carried out surgeries.

While everyone can understand your logic that you have saved the NHS money, you have paid for a private procedure and removing the sutures is and should be part of that procedure. That the hospital is a long way away, is not the GP's fault and it should be something you considered when deciding to go private.

I would discuss it with the hospital whether you can remove the sutures yourself, or whether they can use an alternative sutures that will dissolve in time so that removal is not necessary. It might cost a little more for these sutures, but if that saves a four hour round-trip it will be well worth it.

Good luck with the op!

Mr.Generous

So how come everyone who gets botched surgery in Turkey gets the NHS to put it right? Utterly ridiculous.

Spoonie_Turtle

Mr.Generous said:

So how come everyone who gets botched surgery in Turkey gets the NHS to put it right? Utterly ridiculous.

Do they?  Or are they just patched up to stop the damage of a botched job to make them safe?  And then they tend no longer to be concerned about the cosmetic results, just relieved to habe their health. 

The NHS 'putting it right' would be giving them the results they initially wanted (on top of repairing damage), which doesn't happen unless medically necessary.

Grumpy_chap

Pwd1690 said:

Because of the very lengthy hospital waiting lists and the effect of not being able to get a knee replacement on my every day life we opted to find the money to go privately.
To the hospital which the closest to us is Aberdeen which is a two hour drive each way.
The operation is planned for the 20th May and so as to avoid the 4 hour round trip after knee surgery i went to my local GP surgery and told them about the operation. 
I asked do I need to book to get mystitches out.
They said they would not do that as I had gone privately.
I am 71 and my wife is 76, We have managed to fund the operation ourselfs having saved the NHS a huge amount of money and not going on the waiting list and the Local NHS surgery refuse to remove the stitches.  

This is your choice to have the operation privately and, AIUI, the fee package for the private surgery would normally be inclusive of all follow up care, including stitches, post-OP physio etc.  Essentially any planned and foreseeable part of the care package.  The hospital team that are doing the surgery may have an option for a private partner that can do the stitches nearer to you, or maybe a travelling nurse.  How are you getting the post-op physio and rehabilitation?  Does that also require a 4-hour round trip?  You cannot expect to have the op and be instantly mobile.

As for saving the NHS money, irrespective of waiting lists, would you have met the threshold for knee surgery on the NHS?
The private services will basically do a knee surgery on request.  I know this from direct experience - earlier in the year my MiL decided she needed a new knee, called on a Thursday, saw the consultant on the following Monday and was given a quote straight away.  No Ultrasound or MRI or similar investigation to establish root cause of the pain and stiffness, no history taking (there was no prolonged history of knee trouble).  She was booked in for a fortnight later.  Never went because, by the weekend, her knee was better so she cancelled.  Gave me quite a poor opinion of the professionalism of private health care providers.

Murphybear

Grumpy_chap said:

Pwd1690 said:

Because of the very lengthy hospital waiting lists and the effect of not being able to get a knee replacement on my every day life we opted to find the money to go privately.
To the hospital which the closest to us is Aberdeen which is a two hour drive each way.
The operation is planned for the 20th May and so as to avoid the 4 hour round trip after knee surgery i went to my local GP surgery and told them about the operation. 
I asked do I need to book to get mystitches out.
They said they would not do that as I had gone privately.
I am 71 and my wife is 76, We have managed to fund the operation ourselfs having saved the NHS a huge amount of money and not going on the waiting list and the Local NHS surgery refuse to remove the stitches.  

This is your choice to have the operation privately and, AIUI, the fee package for the private surgery would normally be inclusive of all follow up care, including stitches, post-OP physio etc.  Essentially any planned and foreseeable part of the care package.  The hospital team that are doing the surgery may have an option for a private partner that can do the stitches nearer to you, or maybe a travelling nurse.  How are you getting the post-op physio and rehabilitation?  Does that also require a 4-hour round trip?  You cannot expect to have the op and be instantly mobile.

As for saving the NHS money, irrespective of waiting lists, would you have met the threshold for knee surgery on the NHS?
The private services will basically do a knee surgery on request.  I know this from direct experience - earlier in the year my MiL decided she needed a new knee, called on a Thursday, saw the consultant on the following Monday and was given a quote straight away.  No Ultrasound or MRI or similar investigation to establish root cause of the pain and stiffness, no history taking (there was no prolonged history of knee trouble).  She was booked in for a fortnight later.  Never went because, by the weekend, her knee was better so she cancelled.  Gave me quite a poor opinion of the professionalism of private health care providers.

Your knee normally has to be very bad before they replace it. 

I had knee problems in my early 30s, I damaged it quite badly and had  4 knee ops.  I was told I would get arthritis and would need a replacement.  I saw a Consultant when I was 58 and he took one look at the X ray and said he couldn’t do anything apart from replace it as it was such a mess.  . I had it done 17 weeks later. 

Grumpy_chap

The difference is, MurphyBear, you had a 20+years history of knee issues which MiL did not.

HillStreetBlues

Have you tried your District Nurse?