Cancer! An Expert Tells The NHS Failure

Calipso My post was not a specific response to your posts. i was not even thinking of your posts when I wrote it. I am deeply sorry you took it to be personal.

I have now read all your posts and none of them are among those who, when telling of the excellent treatment they received, somehow suggest that they (almost) disbelieve or dismiss those that complain of a poor or grossly inadequate response to their health problems and, sadly, for so many of us that is our experiennce.

Growstuff since I do not work in the health sector, I can make suggestions that can move the deck chairs on the Titanic, Unfortunately I do not know enough about naval architecture to be able to point out the structural faults in the design of the ship that contributed to its sinking. What I do know is many more people on board died than survived.

Fair enough MOnica. I don't work for the NHS either. However, one of my sisters was a Clinical Manager during the 2011/2 changes and she would dispute that those changes were just rearranging the deckchairs. The majority of people just don't seem to realise how fundamental the changes were or how disruptive and expensive those kind of changes are.

Given your interest in change, I assume you're familiar with the current NHS Long Term Plan.

Thank you for taking the trouble to understand my perspective Monica We too have had a fair share of experiences where care has been inadequate and it is very upsetting.

growstuff You say The majority of people just don't seem to realise how fundamental the changes were or how disruptive and expensive those kind of changes are.

Surely that is the point. From the point of view of the patient they are unaware of any changes or any improvement in service, which must surely leave most people wondering what the purpose of the changes was.

As for the Long Term plan. I cannot see anything in it that will guarantee that when I (or my daughter, or my DH) have a serious problem we will be able to see and talk to a doctor face to face who will listen to our symptoms, treat them seriously and set about finding out the cause of the problem and treating it. I have rehearsed DDs experience a number of times, but it has taken me 10 months of seeing doctors none of whom has actually listened to me and understood what my main medical problem is, despite me being articulate and able to describe symptoms clearly.

That has taken a physiotherapist who has said 'this symptom is your main problem isn't it? and understood my frustration, yet even though he is a hospital physiotherapist, he can do nothing to enable me to see a doctor who might deal with it or assess it, not even one in his own department. I have to get in contact with a privatised entity called Connect Health who will assess me by phone and decide what to do.

I have already paid for one private assessment this year, with a specialist who has confirmed one condition that requires surgery that my GP had no interest in and recommended a reworking of previous NHS surgery which has not been successful. He recommended I see local surgeons, he is London based, so there is nothing in it for him to recommend surgery and other treatment.