If anyone has seen my previous post we were very concerned that husband had been overlooked for appointments.
It's hard enough to be told you need a drug that may cause harm to your body as well as hopefully effect a cure, but to have to navigate poor communication and indifference is an added stress.
In short husband still hadn't been prescribed the Apalutamide he was told he needed for his locally advanced PC.
It was months overdue.
On 28th April we finally saw a consultant who told him he had still got a 2 week wait for even the "Apalutamide education" which was ridiculous as bringing us closer to his pre Radiotherapy scan.
After 2 weeks he rang the CSN line. No joy, no help, no concern or interest. She gives him the pharmacy number. Yes he's on the list. May even be a 4 week wait now.
OK we send email to PALS on Wednesday. He includes a timeline of events from start to finish. This is stressful, takes ages but we keep it clear and factual.
Amazingly an email reply comes on Thursday. They have escalated it to a complaint. Shortly afterwards a different nurse telephones, apologises that he has " fallen through the cracks" and a telephone "Apalutamide Education" is booked for the following Monday. He will be able to puck it up on Monday afternoon. She tells him a consultant will be ringing to apologise .
The consultant rings today. Speaking in a very low voice she apologises and informs him of appointment for pharmacist he already knows about.
She says, when pressed, someone was in holiday. Dear Lord, is this the best they can do.
Well my husband is the most calm considered man and I have never seen him lose his temper and he's still OK with this. Just glad it's sorted. Confidence is not in the system.
We shall be 100% on our guard. Not how it should be but how it is.
But I think the message is clear: if you feel something is not right do approach PALS. They really do help.