Not Added to Waiting List Despite August Request

As some of you may know, I've been on a waiting list for a colostomy since August. I hadn't heard anything, so I thought I would ring the secretaries. Apparently, I am not on the waiting list. My letter to add me is on the system from August, but it was never dealt with. I now have to wait for the letter to be signed off by my consultant before I am added to the list.
Sorry, just needed to moan.

I don't suppose leaving your letter is the only technique they are using yo keep official waiting list figures artificially lower than they should be!

I'd be moaning too if I were in discomfort and assumed things were being taken care of. Will things be expedited now after your phone call?

That totally sucks. Someone was asleep at the wheel.

August? You have been waiting since?

I would be going postal. What a terrible system. No one followed up.

"Blame the computer."

😤

Get this resolved. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. 👍

 

I'm hoping I'm not going to the bottom of the list. The reason I'm on the list is for bowel incontinence, so life-changing, not life-threatening, so I always knew I would be waiting a long time. I guess I'll never know what happened, but at least I know I'm on the list now.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi HC, we have to be our own advocates. I started by showing the home nurse how to do a change of system as she seemed to only want to check my blood pressure and be done. That was a long time ago for me. For you, I would call the secretaries every week to make sure you're moving on the list. Good luck.

I'm hoping I'm not going to the bottom of the list. The reason I'm on the list is for bowel incontinence, so life-changing, not life-threatening, so I always knew I would be waiting a long time. I guess I'll never know what happened, but at least I know I'm on the list now.

I'm hoping I'm not going to the bottom of the list. The reason I'm on the list is for bowel incontinence, so life-changing, not life-threatening, so I always knew I would be waiting a long time. I guess I'll never know what happened, but at least I know I'm on the list now.

I'm hoping I'm not going to the bottom of the list. The reason I'm on the list is for bowel incontinence, so life-changing, not life-threatening, so I always knew I would be waiting a long time. I guess I'll never know what happened, but at least I know I'm on the list now.

Hang in there. Keep reminding them via phone calls, texts, and letters that you are waiting.

Good luck.

Contact PALS at your hospital and put a complaint in. I don't have much faith in PALS myself, but they're worth a try.

Can you find out who the bowel consultant is? If so, go direct to his secretary and explain what's happened. He may get back to you. Worth a try. Good luck.

That's who I got in touch with. I left messages on the answerphone every day for a week, and she finally rang back yesterday.

That's who I got in touch with. I left messages on the answerphone every day for a week, and she finally rang back yesterday.

Currently in the USA we don't have a “waiting list,” but of course, our healthcare system is not a socialist experiment like yours is. As has been proven over the last 1000 years, socialism does not work. Sad that some folks lack the basic logic needed to deduce that fact. Tell us again, Bill, about “not for profit” and “free healthcare.” If you can't trust the people who run your healthcare to provide an accurate wait list, how can you trust them to cut on you?

Hello MMSH.
Thank you for inviting me to comment on health systems and the people who run them.
I am not sure if you are aware that the NHS system in the UK  is not ‘free healthcare’ as implied in your post, It is funded by a ‘National Insurance scheme which all working people contribute to during their working lives.  The concept of being ‘free’ comes at the point of delivery, which is a bit of a misnomer because it has already been paid for.
It seems to me that there is a slight difference between the UK system and that in the  US, inasmuch as the Insurance aspect here is run by the government (and is supposedly not for profit) rather than private companies who undoubtedly make plenty of profit. 
In the UK we also have private insurance companies who don’t have waiting lists for medical care. But, needless to say, these are profit-making organisations and not everyone can afford to pay their fees.
It needs to be pointed out that, in the past, the NHS seems to have been quite competent until the ‘conservative’ party has the majority in government. Then there seems to arise a multitude of devious strategies for undermining the NHS system and trying to persuade people that they would be better served by private insurance. 
Personally, I feel that the people who run the NHS are doing a sterling job considering that they are presently being undermined by our present government at almost every turn.

However, when it comes to ‘trust’ I find it very difficult to ‘trust’ a government that has people running it who appear to have personal profit as their main objective and the ordinary ‘peoples’ needs rarely, if ever, on their agendas. 
It has been quite evident from the accounts of botched surgeries reported on this site, that the ‘private system has no better claim to be ‘trusted’ than the alternatives. 
You make the comment about  ‘not for profit’  and ‘free healthcare’ as if these things are some kind of failed experiment. Whereas, ‘not for profit’ organisations have been very successful both in the UK and the US for many years and are no longer considered an ‘experiment’. Indeed, there have been many extremely rich philanthropists around the world, who have used their wealth in a ‘non-profit’ sense, to benefit the whole of humanity , rather than just themselves.
Just to make my own position clear with regard to the comparisons between socialism /communism and capitalism. I have witnessed both good and bad in both types of administration, which leaves me mistrusting them for not controlling the greedy and selfish few who wish to benefit at the expense of the majority, without giving anything (or not much) back.

As an aside, I am also not religious (for much the same reasons as above). However, I can see how the man they called ‘Jesus Christ’ attracted such a huge following. 
If one examines his life and his teachings, I believe that we would find that he was advocating a kind, ‘caring’, ‘non-profit’ system, where people cared for each other as much as they cared for themselves.
It’s such a pity to see these teachings being ‘commercialised’ so that the ‘churches’ can grow rich in much the same way that any other business might go.
It was clear that Jesus was, in essence, preaching about ‘social’ values, kindness, caring and sharing, and nowhere have I found that his teachings indicate that he approved of personal greed for either wealth, power or dominance over others.
Needless to say, I could waffle on about this sort of thing for the rest of my life, but it 
 is unlikely to make much of a difference to those who support one system as opposed to another. 
Amongst my own perspectives, I have long-since encompassed the pessimistic view that the ’human race’ as a whole, cannot be ‘trusted’ as their moral compass seems to guide them towards  a god of greed.
Best wishes

Bill

 

HUMAN NATURE.

Human nature is to kill.
‘Twas always so and is so still.
Human nature won’t admit
they’ve got themselves a rare habit.

No other creatures have been found
to compare with their redound.
Human nature when set free
will go about a killing spree.

Human nature will destroy
anything that might annoy.
So every other living thing
can be killed at human whim.

Human nature’s selfish, cruel
things are viewed as their own fuel.
They break and take not for a need 
more for selfish, human greed.

Human nature wants its way
it matters not who they may slay.
They cannot live in harmony
they want their own hegemony.

Human nature, unlike its mother
shows no respect for any other.
It intimidates and dominates,
appropriates and subjugates.

We may think that it’s a shame
human nature lays the blame
on anyone or anything
so on itself the blame won’t cling.

Human nature needs restraint
firm control and true constraint.
Left to itself it will devour
everything within its power.

Nature’s power so dangerous
control must be continuous.
Power should not lie with those
from whom the will to kill arose.

                                                B. Withers (2009)
                                                                (in ‘Contemplation’ 2010 p74 

Sorry to hear you have been kept waiting all this time without action. It is a good thing you followed up to find out where things are in the process. Maybe you can contact your consultant about it and see if you can give them a little nudge. Medical red tape can be so frustrating. I know that from recent experiences trying to get the right medication in the right amount of time and the doctor failed to do so. It is definitely a frustration. Scheduling surgery can be a nightmare too. I have been waiting since summer to get my gallbladder out and only just got that scheduled and it is not until Feb. 24th now.

Lee

Well said, Bill.

Thank you for your concern, but I agree totally with Bill. Until I had an accident 2 years ago, I worked for the NHS. It has always saved lives without people worrying if they can afford it. I have had cancer, have diabetes, and have had to retire due to ill health, and I would not have access to health care and would be bankrupt or dead.

Thanks. I am also on a waiting list for gall bladder surgery. They rang me for a pre-op and I said I am on the list for a colostomy. Would I be okay to have the surgery? They looked on the computer and said I wasn't on the list; otherwise, I wouldn't have known.

Hopefully

Excellent response - couldn't agree more... Thank you for your clarity.

Morgan

That sounds very frustrating. I am surprised you didn't yell down the phone at someone about that. I think I would have, but my temper lately when dealing with people is not so good. Hang in there and keep following up.

Lee

I can sum things up with one sentence... The fact that you have a "waiting list" proves failure.

Hello MMSH.
I think you will find that the fact of having a waiting list only proves that we have a waiting list. 'Failure' is a completely different issue.
If it is of any help to put this in perspective, I have had several operations done 'privately' and on each occasion I was put on a waiting list.
By your logic, this would mean that both systems are a 'failure'. 
Best wishes

Bill

I can take my dog for an operation… even they have no waiting list… It's totally unacceptable that a human would have to wait.

I would rather wait my turn as my colostomy is classed as elective than jump the queue in front of those who would die without it. I believe caring for others and helping those who need help is the least I can do. I am proud that I live in Scotland, a place which mostly acts on these principles.

Hello MMSH. 
Thank you for pointing out that veterinary surgeons do not have a 'waiting list.
My wife spent more than 20 years working at a veterinary practice and at no time was a 'waiting list' mentioned. What they used to tell people was,  when the 'next available appointment' was. Of course, many people had to wait, but there was no 'waiting list', as the system was governed by a 'diary' and the availability of staff.

This reminds me of other services which also operate on  similar systems/Dentists, hairdressers, nail bars, even my cataract surgery operates in the same way.

Indeed, anyone who has found themselves in a 'queue' of any sort, would probably not describe it as a 'waiting list', even though there is very ;little difference when one has to wait in line behind someone else.
 I am pleased for you and your dog if you are not put in this position and I tend to agree that the more serious cases of human need should be catered to asap. 
Best wishes
Bill

 

Sorry, I seem to have hijacked your thread. I can sympathize with your plight. The fact that your government-run health care system does not provide the resources necessary to provide prompt and efficient care for everyone is, in my opinion, a shame. It saddens me to think that anyone finds this acceptable. That is the problem with government-run anything! They are not prompt, efficient, or, in most cases, even competent. My opinion is in no way derogatory towards you; it's your system. Making you wait is not saving anyone's life; rather, it could well be risking yours.

Permitting the government to determine whose needs are most serious is a tragic mistake. Don’t be surprised should they determine that their needs are ! The government should stay out of healthcare, they are bumbling fools who foul up anything they touch.