So frustrated... referral rejected due to Dr Incompetence

[Almondenco]

Ugggghhhhhhh.

I was referred to Sandwell Hospital at the beginning of November and was told I'd receive an appointment letter within 6 weeks. As soon as I was referred, I contacted Sandwell for more information on the Bypass process and they advised they don't do Bariatric Surgery there. I assumed I must have been referred for some kind of weight management thing.

I was wrong.

Today I rang Sandwell to see what the progress was as I still hadn't received a letter. They told me that the consultant had rejected my referral as they don't perform Bariatric surgery there. Hardly a surprise as I already knew this, but how could the referring GP not know this?? and why haven't they contacted me to say it's been rejected? I was referred over two months ago

I now have to go to my GP Practice to get a Complaint Form as they don't accept complaints via phone.

Am I overreacting or is referring me to the wrong hospital, then not telling me about it, a bit of a f**k up?

 

[starryeyed]

Huge f*** up x

 

[FeeBee]

Yep I concur that is a f**k up. They need to help you figure out how you get referred to somewhere that can help too.
I am really sorry you are having to deal with this x

 

[SAM55]

Very huge f*** up! Try ringing your CCG to find out what hospital/s in your area do bariatric surgery... My GP thought there were two, but as she hadn't referred anyone for some time, she didn't know one had stopped doing it 9 months before. It took 5 months from GP visit to receiving an appointment letter for two months hence, and i never did find out why it had took so long, and whether it had got lost in the system because of lack of knowledge!

 

[Almondenco]

@starryeyed Thanks hun!

@FeeBee Thanks! I really hope they can figure it out too. I've waiting so long for this

@SAM55 Sorry to hear about the problems you had too but it's nice to know I'm not alone. I know there's a couple of hospitals near-ish me that do the surgery, but they're in a different CCG. Does this mean that getting surgery is like a postcode lottery, and I can only be referred to hospitals within my home catchment area? If so that then is really not good news

 

[Almondenco]

I've just done some research and found that my GP Practice isn't under the Sandwell CCG, but another CCG which just raises more questions

 

[SAM55]

@starryeyed Thanks hun!

@FeeBee Thanks! I really hope they can figure it out too. I've waiting so long for this

@SAM55 Sorry to hear about the problems you had too but it's nice to know I'm not alone. I know there's a couple of hospitals near-ish me that do the surgery, but they're in a different CCG. Does this mean that getting surgery is like a postcode lottery, and I can only be referred to hospitals within my home catchment area? If so that then is really not good news

If there is no hospital in your CCG area (as there wasn't in mind) then you should be referred to a hospital that takes patients from your area. This is what happened to me. With NHS Choices we should have a choice of hospitals, but in reality with WLS, particularly in my rural area this isn't practical. As long as your CCG is willing to pay for WLS (and I have heard in the news that some are introducing new restrictions on who is eligible) then not having a hospital that does it in your CCG areas shouldn't make any difference.

Any more problems then I suggest you contact PALS.

 

[Chellopmummy]

Hi hun

I'm assuming youre in the same area as me, Walsall Manor Hospital are the WLS hospital for our area. The same thing happened to my mum (she was reffered to Russells Hall first) but she soon got her appointment for Walsall and had a Sleeve last June x Hope they sort you out x

 

[valentine]

If you have anymore problems then defo contact PALs as they are really helpful with this kind of thing and also for giving you the correct information about the hospitals in Your area.
Knowledge is power wen it comes to getting any form of surgery performed without waiting a lifetime xx

 

[Almondenco]

I did have to contact PALS in the end (and thanks to all who recommended them as I would have had no idea who to contact). The new hospital lost my referral twice but PALS got me on the cancellation waitlist and now I have an appointment for Weight Management next week!