"Lack of empathy, organisation, concern and communication"

I recently I called my GP for an appointment due to two lumps in my breast that I had discovered in January along with intermittent discharge. I was given an appointment for two days later.

I was examined by GP, I told them my sister has breast cancer and I was concerned. I was told they were going to refer me as urgent to breast clinic that day and also get my bloods taken. Unfortunately there were no appointments left to get my bloods taken so I had to come back the following Friday. (I don’t drive and have young children, getting to the GP from village via bus is really difficult for me to manage).

My GP reassured me that they were still going to put in the referral on the original appointment date and that if my bloodwork showed anything worrying, they would then put in for my referral to be urgent-suspected. I went to my bloods appointment and was told then that I’d have my results Monday afternoon.

I then called Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for my results and was told a different story every time as to why my results weren’t back. Finally, on Thursday I got the results that the bloodwork was normal. I then call the BC to see how my referral was getting on, only to find out I was never referred because they were waiting on my blood results.

I call my GP back, ask why I was told I'd be referred and then nearly two weeks later find out that I in fact had not been referred. The GP apologises and then puts me through as urgent.

I call the BC to make sure my referral has been received, they said yes but that it was being vetted. A few days later I call the BC again to see if my referral is done being vetted, to find out that my referral has been put in as routine and the breast clinic says it’ll be 12-14 week wait! I then call my GP and ask why I was referred as routine, they tell me that the BC made a mistake and that they will inquire. I call again (3 weeks after my original appointment), the BC says that nothing has changed, they can’t update my file to not say routine.

I call my GP again and demand that something be done about all of this, they ask me to come back in for another examination… so I come back in, I get examined and they tell me they're going to refer me under urgent-suspected, under a brand new referral and that I will be seen within 2 to 3 weeks of that referral.

I call the BC to make sure my new referral has been received… it wasn’t. they only had old referral, which had been changed from routine to urgent and I would be seen within 4-8 weeks...

I call my GP again, I ask why new my referral has still not been put through and their excuse was since Monday was an NHS holiday, it was delayed, even though they had the rest of Thursday and all of Friday to send it in. (That’s 5 days later than they said for the referral to be put in, 5 more days that I could have been closer to my appointment).

I demand that it be sent in before the end of the day as this is more of my time that is being wasted. Finally by mid-afternoon, I had been referred as urgent-suspected. I was told by both the GP and the breast clinic that I would be seen within 2-3 weeks of my referral.

I then wait as patiently as I can for 2 weeks. I call the BC again and ask where my appointment is… to be told that I was only 2 weeks into a 7 week wait! I asked what they meant because I was referred under urgent-suspected and should be seen sooner, and they said that urgent-suspected is now taking up to 12 weeks instead of 2.

Now have yet another symptom (subareolar abscess) that is not just worrying but incredibly painful. I went back to GP Wednesday, saw a nurse who I felt had no bedside manner, was cold and insisted they were not going to update my file with BC because it wasn't going to change my wait time. I said that consultants still needed all information and this was a new symptom. They refused to update them. 

Every time I call GP or the BC I get conflicting information. I keep getting told different stories, 6 weeks on I am still no closer to an appointment. I do not trust anyone in the system now. Every time I think I'm finally going to be helped, listened to, I get let down. To be treated like this, to never get a straight answer, and to have to chase every single thing that is told to me is beyond exhausting. I'm very literally traumatised by my treatment over the last 6.5 weeks.

I have spent countless hours chasing up referrals and demanding my health concerns be taken seriously, only to be met with lack of empathy, organisation, concern and communication. I have called the BC and GP hundreds of times, doing their job for them, or finding out they didn’t do what they said they were going to do.

Due to what I feel is their negligence, I could have been seen by now. I've read the criteria for being referred to the breast clinic. I tick multiple boxes. I want to know why no one is taking my health seriously. I'm over 30, have two abnormal lumps, discharge, family history of breast cancer and now I have this abscess, so what else can I possibly do to get seen?