Care Opinion

Text size

Theme

Language

Videos in BSL or ISL
Help with language translation
Help with reading or listening

Poor communication on my son's referral

Posted By Mumofbaby

"Poor communication on my son's referral"

About: Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Paediatrics Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick children / Paediatric Surgery

(as a parent/guardian),

My son at 8 weeks old was referred to the Royal for assessment for surgery. I contacted my GP again in December as I had not yet received any communication regarding referral. I rang the Royal only to be told that he had been triaged by Consultant Paediatrician to Altnegalvin Hospital back in April 2022. When contacting Altnegalvin they had no record of my baby's referral. I went back to the Royal who stated that it was sent to Altnegalvin in early April as they had received his referral two days earlier. I was seen by my GP as an urgent appointment today, who re-referred my son for the same reason nine months ago.

Altnegalvin then found my son's referral from April '22 and said due to clinics being cancelled and the strike that he had not been assessed and was waiting longer, so they would try to put him on the list for an extra clinic in February that has not been confirmed if clinic is even to happen. The optimal time for the surgery is at a year old, my son will be turning one in four weeks and is not even on the waiting list as he has not been assessed.

To have no communication from either hospital for now over nine months and spending two days of ringing through to both hospitals I have gotten no further on a definite answer on my son getting an appointment any time soon. I am very distraught and concerned at the fact that my son will now be waiting to be put on a  waiting list for the surgery which he should have been on months ago. The optimal time to have this surgery is now, to be safe from any complications later in life. 

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Yvonne Devenney, Ward Manager, Ward 6 & 16 Children's Altnagelvin ( W&C), WHSCT 2 years ago
Yvonne Devenney
Ward Manager, Ward 6 & 16 Children's Altnagelvin ( W&C),
WHSCT

Submitted on 11/01/2023 at 17:58
Published on Care Opinion on 12/01/2023 at 08:35

Dear Mumofbaby

My name is Yvonne and I am the Ward Manager of the Children's Ward in Altnagelvin.

I am so sorry and disappointed to read in your post of how you have been treated in regards to your son's referral. I have responsibility for the inpatient Paediatric services but unfortunately not the outpatient referrals. However I would be happy to discuss the issues with you and investigate/advocate on your behalf.

My email is yvonne.devenney@westerntrust.hscni.net if you wish to email me your telephone number.

Kind regards

Yvonne

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Ciaran Bradley, Service Manager, SPECIALIST HOSPITALS & WOMEN'S HEALTH, Belfast HSC Trust 2 years ago
Ciaran Bradley
Service Manager, SPECIALIST HOSPITALS & WOMEN'S HEALTH,
Belfast HSC Trust

Submitted on 18/01/2023 at 14:39
Published on Care Opinion at 14:39

Dear Mumofbaby

I am very sorry for the lack of information and communication you received about your son's referral to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC).

I have discussed the information you provided through your Care Opinion comment with the staff in our Appointments Office in RBHSC so that I can provide you with some information.

They advise me that unfortunately the electronic referral/triage system we all use throughout NI is not advanced enough to generate automatic letters in the case of those patient referral letters that may be redirected to another Trust to be seen.

I understand that the consultant in RBHSC who triaged your son's referral on the electronic system, directed it to Altnagelvin because Altnagelvin is possibly closer for you to travel to, and we run an paediatric outreach clinic there, so it was felt that this would save you from having to travel to Belfast to be seen.

I am sorry that we did not anticipate the subsequent issues in Altnagelvin which have delayed contact being made with you but my colleague in the Appointment Office advises me that they have been working with Altnagelvin and out consultant to try to speed up arrangements for an appointment for your son to be seen there.

In terms of trying to improve such an outcome, Encompass, there new regional IT system is being rolled out to all Trusts in NI over the next two to three years. I am not absolutely sure if there is the capacity within that new system to produce something that would address this obvious communication gap with the likes of parents in a case such as yours, but I have reached out to colleagues on that project to ask, and raise your case as an example.

Again please accept our apologies for any undue stress and anxiety this has caused.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k