Patient stories from the NHS waiting list
For months the government had been claiming that they've successfully reduced the NHS waiting list by delivering more appointments.
But a recent report by the Nuffield Trust has revealed that most of the so-called ‘drop’ isn’t from treating more people - it’s from deleting them off the list. People who’ve died, moved abroad, or people who just didn’t reply to a text or phone call in time - even when they still needed care.
What’s more - even after deleting thousands this way, the recent figures for both June and July show that the NHS waiting list is actually going up.
So as the waiting list crisis rumbles on, and the government are accused of misleading the public, we want to shine a light on stories of patients who are being directly impacted by this issue. Here are just some of the testimonials that have been sent in to us…
STEVE
“After some years waiting for a knee replacement I finally got onto the surgical list. About 10 days later I received an email asking if I still wanted treatment. I assumed it was just crossed wires and didn’t reply and was duly removed from the list. I now realise it was a deliberate pruning exercise to cut the list. Just a bit disgusted."
SUSAN
“I have a pacemaker and have been feeling breathless but was told it’s a 16-week wait for an echocardiogram. This is ridiculous… it is terrible.”
Angela
“I was removed from the gastroenterology list because I failed to attend an appointment which had arrived by post the day after the actual appointment. They told me I’d need to go back to my GP."
Alison
“My husband was taken into hospital with a gallbladder infection. In October the specialist said it would be a six months wait. Then a letter came saying a year. Then a phone call, maybe another four to six months. He is in pain every day, so we’ve had to pay £7,000 for a private hospital.”
JOHN
"I've been waiting for an umbilical hernia for almost five years. 3 years into waiting, I called the hospital who told me I had cancelled my appointment - but I had never even received one to cancel. In the end, it was only by chance that my hernia got fixed: when I was admitted for bowel cancer surgery, I jokingly asked the surgeon to repair it at the same time and he did."
Sue
“I was referred for high pressure in my eye, which can lead to glaucoma. The hospital changed my appointment to a site I couldn’t reach. I emailed but got no reply, and the phone just rang out. That was three years ago. I assume I’m off the list. I’m currently having no treatment at all - and no one seems to care.”
Louise
“I’ve had three messages asking me to confirm I still need my cardiac MRI. I can see how people could easily miss one, or answer incorrectly, and be taken off the list.”
Karen
“I’ve been waiting 2 years and 10 months for the next stage of my treatment. In that time I've had two nurse calls, and three texts asking if I still want to stay on the list. I always say yes, but I still have no idea how long it will be before I actually get treatment.”
NHS patients deserve much better. This isn't fixing the NHS crisis - it's fixing the numbers. We need to hold our politicians to account.
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