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HI from ST Helens can anyone help please

H

Halucin8

New Member
Hi :wave_cry:

I was wondering if there was anyone here from St Helens and Knowsley PCT.
I was referred to weight management over a year ago and had a period where i was hospitalised (missed 2 appointments)and they kicked me off the programme i wrote to the PCT and they put me back on. I've been going again now for over 6 months and the last time I went she said she doesn't want to see me for 4 months, saw her at the end of May and she doesn't want to see me until Sept, is this normal :confused:? and does anyone know how long you have to attend before they will consider you for a referral ?

Thank you in advance for your time :)
 
Hi,

Not from St H, but not far away :)

I had to do weight management, and one confusion was that they didn't realise I wanted WLS! Once they knew, things progressed a lot faster. So basic check, does she know that that is your aim? Most PCTs only ask for 6 months so I would speak to her and ask her what more she wants you to do before she will refer you on, and ask the PCT if they have a set length and if there are any other criteria you need to meet.

Good luck,

Shel x
 
Hiya I'm not under the same PCT but not far away. I would go to see your GP and ask him to refer you, he'll probably say you need to do a weight management program which you can then tell him you've done, good luck xxx
 
I live in Widnes and know that for my gynae and diabetes care I am under St Helens and Knowsley PCT, my funding was done by Halton and St Helens (thats what the letter says) so I dont know if that is technically the same or not.
I had to do twelve months of a weight management course, that was ten weeks of going to the gym twice a week and a group dietician meeting once a week and then the remainder of the twelve months was seeing the dietician every six weeks or so and I met the psychologist twice in that time. But I had to be 'in the system' for twelve months before I was even considered for funding. The diabetes folks contacted my GP to ask him to refer me for surgery, he sent me to the weight management team and it went from there. At nearly twelve months into that year they filled in all of the forms and sent them off to the PCT, around a week later I got the letter confirming that I had funding and then some time later I got an appointment with the surgeon, within six weeks I met the surgeon and then I got reallllllllllllly lucky and had my bypass sixteen days later.
So you could have a bit of a wait ahead of you, so be prepared for that, but you may well not.
Sorry I couldnt be more help xx
Good luck on a speedier journey xx
Steph xx
 
ok thanks well i didnt expect so many replies ..

I asked my GP about WLS and he did refer me to weight management this was about march last year i got on straight away but i have psoriasis and had a really bad episode and had to be admitted so missed 2 appointments one each week, then i got the letter telling me i was no longer on the programme, i rang them an explained what had happened and my dermo even provided a letter to explain but they said no .. so i wrote to the PCT and within 3 days i was back on .. so i didn't miss much, and the weight management team even said i didnt need to repeat the first 8 weeks again and been seeing her every 2 weeks since, she asked me if i would go to CBT I said ok but the appointment they sent me arrived the day after the actual appointment, so im waiting again now. i just find it strange that now i haven't seen her for months. Not that its great cos she just sits there telling me how she likes to play squash and go for a swim before work every morning and play tennis after work. i dont think shes been a pound over 8stone all her life.

Thanks for all the replies i'm going to see my GP again and see what he says and see what weight management say in sept.
 
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Hi again well i had my appointment today and I asked her about WLS and she has agreed to put me forward as a candidate for it. She gave me loads of literature and websites to visit. She made the appointment with CBT and asked me to provide 2 supporting letters for it one from my GP and the other from my Dermatologist (as my dermatologist isn't happy about the dosage of methotrexate i have to be on due to my weight so I don't think this will be a problem), as she explained it isn't her decision its the PCT and surgeons decision whether they will allow funding Etc and the more support i have the more likely I will be successful.

I don't know if i caught her on an exceptionally good day today but she was really positive and supportive today so feel bad for saying some not so positive things about her in my last post :(
oh and she told me today that from next week she is the bariatric coordinator for my area, so its her i will see for my referral appointment :D
Thank you so much for all the advice and I will keep you updated on how things go.
 
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Hello again well I have received the referral to the bariatric coordinator as the dietician promised, and I have the letters she requested from my both my GP and Dermatologist as she requested. 17th November is the date.
 
quick update, apparently she wants me to do another round of CBT cos the last one was a while ago and doesn't want it to get rejected for it .. so i have an appointment on the 9th of DEC for that and then i go back and see her on the 7th Jan .. its awfully long winded but i suppose necessary. I will keep you all informed.
 
I am 3 weeks post op i live in machester and had to wait nearly 18 months to get funding but all i can say is good luck its well and truely worth the wait:)
 
shes also asked me to do a food diary again whats the best format for this and did you all have to do food diaries? this is like the 3rd one i have done for her.
 
Well i saw her in Nov she said she would have to rerequest a supporting letter from my GP and she remembers receiving it but it had been misplaced and she referred me to CBT, so i went to the CBT and waited for an appointment to see the dietician again ... weeks passed i rang and they said they were having problems getting my details up on the system but they would pop one in the post. i waited again a few weeks passed i rang oh we sent you an appointment you missed it !!! eventually got an appointment for last week. I went to see her and.... she was on holiday and someone else was taking her clinic and i would have to wait for her to come back to sort anything out. just feel i am going around in circles :( and getting nowhere fast or slow for that matter.. Are the guidelines on bospa still correct ? or is it the nice guidelines ? im so confused with all this. ive been doing this WM for almost 3 years now have a bmi of over 50 and seem to be getting nowhere
 
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i had another follow up with the dietician but it wasn't her :( she was on holiday again, so now i have to wait again. i just seem to be going in circles, they still haven't applied for funding. I am so fed up :( i have been doing weight management for over 3 years. Each time i go she sends me away saying they will review it in a few months and i go again and shes either on holiday and has a stand in or she says the same thing again. i know she has received supporting letters from the GP and Dermo, my BMI is 59 and i just feel they is no help there at all for me :( .
 
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Contact Pals and say you have had enough of this merry go round.Your health and mental state cant take any more!Its rediculous that she is on holiday every time you go!
 
well i haven't been here for a while. so its time to update, I managed to get an appointment with my dietician and things have finally progressed, i redid my CBT which helped a lot actually and now they have submitted my application for funding so hopefully i will hear something soon. I am not sure how long until i will hear something but I am due to go on holiday in June for 2 weeks.
 
Halucin8,
I am from St Helens and under Halton & St Helens. Can't believe how long you have been waiting!!!
I started my journey 13th Sept 2010, regular visits to Alison the dietician and Keith the CBT counsellor, they lasted for about 10 month and then they started the ball rolling to refer me.
This was the frustrating part for me, chasing them up, chasing reports and referrals. I finally got my first appointment at Spire Regency Macclesfield 29th Nov. My next one is 13th Jan and my surgery booked for 30th Jan.
My advice is, mither, moan and ring everyone to get things moving!!!

What stage you at now? I may have some helpful numbers. xxx
 
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