tfu

Hi Gail,

THe NHS is working towards it's target of everybody being fully treated within 18 weeks from GP referral. It comes in from the end of 2008, but the hospitals have been getting geared up for it for some time. For example did you know that a lot of hospitals have done away with consultant to consultant referrals? Now the first consultant is supposed to refer you back to your GP, to send you on to the next bod! GP referrals to a consultant are supposed to be seen in 13 weeks, but there was no time limit for consultant to consultant referrals. I think that from January a lot of hospitals are starting 'dry runs', but for that they need patients from scratch.

I think that for anybody who doesn't mind having a ruined Christmas, now is the perfect time to move up the waiting lists as I'm sure a lot of people are going to turn down an appointment in the middle of December in preference to say the beginning of January. The hospital has to give people a 'Reasonable Date' which is at least three weeks notice, so the dates are going to be going out now for early/mid December.

I'm pretty pee'd off that Christmas will be ruined, because having been told that this operation was going to happen at the end of August, this to me is like the final gesture of sticking two fingers up at me. But I'll see it through. The whole year has revolved around this problem with my back, the highlight of course came on 13 May when I was carted off by the police to a mental hospital because of the pain/panic/hyperventilating.

I'm glad you are planning a pampering treat for yourself. Sounds good to me. I'm not so big on my hair and nails, but I do love a nice facial. I also used to like a massage, but I haven't risked that this year. I thought I'd do it the other way around and have a makeover just before I go back to work. All being well, I should be going back after the op on 7 January, so the first week of January all the beauty places will be dead, after New Year.

I haven't got any butterflies yet. I think that I am still in denial that this is even going to happen. I try to plan, but then just forget about it altogether. My brother was visting at the weekend and when he left he said \"Good luck with the operation\" and it took a few seconds for it to click what he was talking about. I have another ten days left at work and there is so much I need to do before I go off on sick leave. But the truth is that even if I cleared every piece of paper on my desk, the following day, a new load of stuff would appear, so I have to be realistic and instead of beating myself up for all the things I haven't done, I need to be pleased with what I have achieved. This has been quite hard for my employer, because they have lived with knowing I needed an operation since May, and like me they don't know if they are coming or going. The meds aren't so good now and all told I'm ready for this now. BUt for some reason I keep forgetting about it!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think that come January we will need a new site for those of us in recovery!!!

Best wishes,

TFU

hi gail

hi tfu

tfu very true, it'll be good if we all go in b4 xmas, but i am hopeing deep down it'll be just after for me! i have alot to be copeing with at the mo so after xmas will do me!!

i like reading your posts, i said to gail, you've helped so much with info and stuff on kings, its nice when you know someone else is going to the same hospital, well of to bed now,

thanx again, take care

:rose: mandy :rose:

hi

i was wondering how much notice they give for your in -patient appointment , 3 wks notice will do me fine even though i,ve told them i can come in at short notice(they have been known to ask patients to come in the next day). as with you and your employer(tfu) my employer hasnt known whats happening but with me ive been made to look a fool with all the different dates id been given, as once a month i speak to my manager and update her and it seems every time i speak to her its a different date. but i have the letters to prove whats been said it still doesnt make me feel less stupid. had a letter from the am this morning with a copy off the hospital looks like thats it everythings stopped again!! really cant be bothered any more. if like you said hopfully people wont want to go in for xmas so i,ll get my appointment.

hi mandy up so late!!!! gail

ps off to get my fitting for my collar now .

Hi Girls,

Good luck Gail with your collar fitting. Hopefully a good night's sleep is on the cards for you tonight.

Getting a surgery date is like shuffling up a giant deck of cards. This is how it goes. Enjoy :lol: :lol: :lol: :-

[b:e1a94cac13]Hospital Admissions Manager's Handbook[/b:e1a94cac13]

Sort files for cases awaiting surgery into urgent or routine piles.

Ignore both piles completely for months then, when they have been completely overlooked for a suitably long period, book the pre-op assessment visit for patients.

Then sort files into passed/not passed piles for further review at your leisure.

The 'not passed' files are easy, just send these back to the Consultant. Phew! Job done.

Look at the 'passed' pile and see if there is any way you can think to reduce your workload. The odd one slipping down the back of the radiator, filing cabinet is fine. Chances are nobody will notice/care for months and if you check with your line manager you will probably find that there is 20% tolerance limit in place, that the union has very thoughtfully fought for on your behalf. Hopefully, when any problems come to light you will be on your day off on leave/jobshare and nobody can pin it on you anyway. Never, ever acknowledge your mistakes.

Contact the lucky people left in the 'passed' pile by phone with a date for surgery, giving at least three weeks notice. If date confirmed by the patient, send a letter. If not offer another date. If then confirmed send letter. If not, refer back to the Consultant to send a dismissal letter to GP. Under no circumstances give the patient the two dates to choose from. They are supposed to have this, by law, but you need to get on to the next call. Choice is something that should not be encouraged.

If patient shows surprise/shock/disgust at length of wait, offer to put them on a cancellation list, knowing damn well they will never hear anything further and they have less chance of of hearing from you again than having their summer holiday on Venus next year.

If a patient should need to defer after a date has been given because they have a cold or something, give the cancellation date to the name on the file at the top of your 'must ring when I can be bothered' list. Under no circumstances bother yourself with giving it to someone who already has a date, as doing so, will then mean that they in turn then have to cancel their appointment and you are back to square one.

At all times, be guided by the deadlines. Not for people's best recovery times, silly, but to make sure that all government statistics are met. In this respect take whatever action however underhand is necessary. Remember the Chief Excutive of your Trust has his bonus at stake!

If you should drop the whole pile of files on the floor, don't worry, just shuffle them up and start again. Who knows, maybe some of the papers in the wrong files will now find their correct home. :x :x

Be accountable to no-one. Never give your name unless absolutely necessary. Never answer your phone. It helps to have a colleague record their voicemail message on your phone. This will confuse the patients. They may leave a message, but will be unsure if it is even your extension and will reach you. If they are the persistant type and ring back, you can just claim they must have made a mistake. They are unlikely to ring the switchboard again, because having been kept on hold for 30+ minutes at an exhorbitant call rate per minute, their mobile phone has no credit left now anyway, their luchbreak is over and by tomorrow they will have lost the will to live.

Above all be happy in your work and confident in the knowledge that you are never going to met these people anyway.

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

tfu

what can i say not stopped laughing yet oh you know the system oh so well :D :D :D gail

The only way I am going to be seen before Xmas is if I become a Turkey & get bird flu!!!!! Even then, if I become a turkey & don't get bird flu, I am still stuffed come Xmas!!! No win!!

Hi Darren,

Sounds like you are running out of options. At least you still have your sense of humour, mine left a few months back and was last seen heading up the M1 with hope and patience for a better life and medical treatment north of the border.

I doubt there will be any turkeys left to stuff at Christmas. That will round off the year quite nicely......endless pain, carted off to a mental hospital, months off work on sick leave (most of it unpaid), no holiday, all my christmas plans completely ruined and now...no bloody christmas dinner!!! Roll on 2008!!!!!

Best wishes

TFU