Very Annoying!

User

Posted 09 May 2015 at 14:48

Had my biopsy just over two weeks ago and was told my results would be ready within a week but to be on the safe side wait two weeks. After a couple of days of stress and worry I turned yesterday only to be told by results weren't ready yet!!! This knocked me sideways because it wasn't something I had contemplated.

Wondering if anyone has had a similar situation?

By the way, I had it done privately at The Spire.

User

Posted 10 May 2015 at 19:02

Yummy
If you had private treatment and either paid for it or used insurance cover then I would be annoyed as well. If you were told a week then that is what their benchmark should be. You have waited more than a week longer than that. Most of the people I know having private tests or treatment get results very quickly and the contact is initiated by the Consultant or one of their team they are not expected to "ring in" for results. A letter confirming all the information is usually received within a day or so of that phone call.
If it were me I would contact the Spire and speak to one of their client relationship Managers or similar. You need to have confidence that they are giving you the care and speed of attention you are paying for.

Best wishes
xx
Mo

User

Posted 10 May 2015 at 19:22

Yummy

My husband had his biopsy at Guys hospital, NHS, on 27th April and as he was leaving he was given an appointment for 5 May to get his results (which he did).

As a private patient you have every right to be annoyed, as Mo says get in touch with the Spire.

Good luck

Maureen

"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." A A Milne

User

Posted 10 May 2015 at 20:23

Most Spire hospitals don't have their own lab but use the local hospital. It then has to come back to the consultant to be reviewed. Our local Spire will not give results over the phone - you have to see the consultant.

To be fair, if the biopsy has confirmed a cancer diagnosis and you had been told that news over the phone by an administrator, we would all be up in arms at the callousness of the system!!!! I think that instead of complaining to the hospital, you need to contact the consultant's secretary to ask whether you need to see him.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 10 May 2015 at 23:27

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Most Spire hospitals don

Lyn maybe my initial response to this thread focused more on the service issue rather than what is really improtant however, I dont think for a moment I would expect the administrator to even enter into that conversation. If you pay for a service you should get it, the biopsy should have been followed up with a call from the consultant or one of their medically qualified team within the time frame given.
The outsourcing of these things from private hospitals and clinics who do not have the facilities back to NHS labs is one of the things that puts a strain on the physical resources in our NHS. It puts private patients ahead of NHS patients but using facilities all taxpayers have contributed to.
Personally I think that is wrong. That is just my opinion and I would not let that bias my view to Yummy he has paid directly or indirectly for a service that has not been fulfilled. First up he needs to get an answer from the consultant or his team and then after that make his views known to the hospital about the poor service.
Just my opinion
xx
Mo

User

Posted 10 May 2015 at 23:51

I think that might be a little naive Mo. St James's is a centre of excellence for oncology and much of the funding for their research and the superb facilities comes from selling services to private hospitals, insurance companies and self-funding people like me. Rather than being a drain on NHS services, the private income generated is ploughed into the NHS oncology provision. We might not like it in principle but the hospital has made a strategic decision and presumably wouldn't have all the fantastic scientists and machinery otherwise. All the leading hospitals do the same, I am afraid.

It isn't just private hospitals though. My dad's GP buys his (NHS) PSA testing from another hospital in a different county because they are slightly cheaper than St James. Not sure you would argue that dad's W Yorks GP is putting a strain on resources that should be kept for North Yorks men???

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 11 May 2015 at 12:29

Lyn
I really had no intention of my initial comment being anything other than a supportive agreement with Yummy that he has been let down by this service provider. I am sure they have some kind of service level agreement for clients who pay for their services either directly or through a private insurance plan. If that service level has been breached then he has every right to raise his concerns or complain or whatever he feels is appropriate.
I am not naieve about NHS funding far from it, I am fully aware that many of our hospitals get their equipment, quality staff,critical research and other facilities from private investment and from significant cash provided by charities and the public in general. However if you look back to the creation and the history of the NHS it is not what was ever intended it has evolved as a necessity to keep the original principles alive. Blame that on a myriad of reasons. The short answer is the saddest answer in the majority of cases private treatment will always be delivered faster, and in much better surroundings than NHS care.

If you have private cover or sufficient financial resources you can get what you are prepapred to pay for ... or at least you should be able to. You and I know there is a great deal that is worth fighting for in our NHS , in an ideal world that level of excellence in medical care would be free to everyone as it had originally been intended but that is just a fantasy now.

Maybe one we can chat about at Leicester over a nice cuppa (Yorkshire's finest of course!), you and I agree on most things we just express our views differently .. you are the brainy one that speaks with your head first and your heart second . I am the squishy one that talks with my heart first and probably forgets to use my head!!! I apologise to you if I have offended you at all it was not my intention I am the worlds biggest quitter when it comes to confrontation of any description!

Sorry Yummy ... Lyn and I have digressed a little

xx
Mo

User

Posted 11 May 2015 at 19:10

Hi Yummy ,

I'm new on here but understand your plight . I wanted you to know for me its ALWAYS been told 2 weeks !! In fact quite often I am given the follow up appt at the same time as the biopsy , so I think its the NHS standard to be honest. I've had a TRUS , a template , and another TRUS tomorrow aswell as loads of scans .

When I was working I had BUPA cover and in that time I had various things done privately both at the Nuffield and at the spire . I had some good experiences and bad experiences. The worst thing that happened is that the Spire failed to forward my PSA 6 to my doctor and the info got lost and and it bumbled on for ages before it got noticed . I had an operation on my left arm at the Spire Southampton and the care was appalling - I was flung out of the door half-dressed in agony and giddy still with anaesthetic . My wife found me in reception out of it .

Anyway that's beside the point . Best wishes in your journey Yummy

User

Posted 11 May 2015 at 20:04

Oh Lord! Not offended at all - far from it. I just worry that sometimes we get fired up on here and encourage people to feel that they have been failed when in fact they may not have remembered everything correctly, may not have posted everything on here correctly or there is a reasonable explanation that we are just not aware of due to not being the person's doctor 😷

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 12 May 2015 at 19:37

Thanks for all your input. Wasn't expecting such a heated exchange though :-)

I will contact Spire tomorrow to lodge a complaint and also find out when my test results will be ready. I think the waiting part is the main challenge, basically not knowing. I now wish I hadn't waited two whole months to have the biopsy done.

User

Posted 12 May 2015 at 20:31

I have little experience of private hospitals in the UK but I did see a surgeon once who worked privately and for the NHS. He told me he could do the same operation (not PCa related), much earlier if I was treated privately. I believe this is often the case but some private hospitals may like many NHS hospitals be under pressure to cope with an ever increasing number of patients. The unfortunate thing is that there are not sufficient medically trained people at all levels and the situation is being made worse at GP level where many GP's are leaving or retiring early, and there are not always replacements. Many GP's say this is because they are over loaded (if now well paid.) This is having a knock on effect where some people instead of seeing their GP go straight to A&E taking up the time of doctors in some cases unnecessarily and adding to hospital administrative workload too. Of course there are other reasons also why hospitals are finding it a struggle to cope, some more than others. Perhaps it is not surprising that aggrieved as we may feel about long delays for treatment and information this can happen in current circumstances.

Barry

User

Posted 12 May 2015 at 21:21

Hi Yummy
I have no experiance of Spire only NHS, I had a similar thing in 2010 with a PC Biopsy trying to get results, even my GP couldn't find out, it turned out it was was clerical ( no secreteries ) .I kept ringing urology and eventually someone told me there was no cancer ,my GP got results by fax 3 weeks after biopsy which was great, but my stress levels were off the scale.
Unfortunatly I was there again in Sept 2014 PSA up to 6.41, this time it was positive 14 samples 6 confirmed Gleason 3+4 = 7 treatment Hormone Therapy , Radiotherapy. Finished all treatment , going to see Oncologist this Thusday for 1st PSA test results , a bit nervous
All praise to NHS this time got blo result in 2 weeks ,implants for H/T and R/Th followed on with great care and kindness ,5*****'s to the NHS from me .

Hope you get yours soon we all know how stressfull it is ,

Alan

Keep positive

User

Posted 12 May 2015 at 23:22

Yummy
I apologise me and lyn just see things from a different angle sometimes, we respond as we see and then try and osrt out our issues afterwards, we do it online because it often helps others to see that there is more than one way to view things. We are friends no matter what.
this is the best community for that we speak openly, honestly and as candidly as we can but we all respect each others right to an opinion.
sorry we got a bit vocal on your thread

xx
Mo

User

Posted 13 May 2015 at 18:48

No problem Mo, and no need to apologise.

On a side note, got my results today which were all clear. Will wait six months before another PSA test.

User

Posted 13 May 2015 at 18:58

Good news then Yummy
really pleased for you
xx
Mo

User

Posted 13 May 2015 at 19:20

"Great news Yummy" , hope mines as good tomorrow.

Regards

superplumb

User

Posted 13 May 2015 at 23:55

Excellent - frustrating waiting but delighted it's the news you wanted to hear!

Paul

Stay Calm And Carry On.

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