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Let down and misinformed

Posted By dancebp46

"Let down and misinformed"

About: Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Ear, Nose & Throat Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Paediatrics

(as a parent/guardian),

I made an appointment for a private consultation one year ago and was informed my son would need surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils.

I was later advised that having his surgery in Altnagelvin would be best and that the wait times for urgent surgery were similar whether private or via the WHSCT - approx. 3 months.

Due to this I agreed. My son waited 7 months before we were seen at Altnagelvin outpatients, and we were then told it would be 2 months for his surgery. Again we waited but after speaking to waiting list for Daycase today I have been told it will be at least 18 months. This is very very different to my initial conversation.

I am so incredibly disheartened and disappointed. My 5 year old son is miserable and had I been told the truth we were happy and willing to look at paying for the surgery privately to improve his quality of life. I am very aware how long the lists are but feel like we have been very much let down and misinformed.

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Responses

Response from Sinead McElwee, Nursing Service Manager/Lead Nurse NWCC, Acute Services, WHSCT 15 months ago
Sinead McElwee
Nursing Service Manager/Lead Nurse NWCC, Acute Services,
WHSCT

Submitted on 17/01/2024 at 19:41
Published on Care Opinion at 19:41

picture of Sinead McElwee

Dear Dancebp46, Thank you for taking your time to share your concerns in relation to your son waiting times for surgery.

Waiting time for Tonsil surgery are group into 2 areas- urgent and routine. As a department we are working on reducing waiting time for both urgent and routine surgeries. I am unable to comment on the information you were told at your private appointment, bur I am happy for you to contact myself to discuss your concerns further.

Kind regards

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by dancebp46 (a parent/guardian)

Thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I really appreciate it. As a member of trust staff myself I understand the long waiting times but again felt so misinformed as I was told at our outpatient appointment in Altnagelvin at the beginning of September 2023 that it would be 2 months until surgery. I was also told that my son is on the urgent list which now I don't know if I can believe.

My little boy is quite an anxious child. After being told we would have surgery in 2 months I spent time buying books, talking to him and explaining the surgery to help him feel at ease all for this to be a waste.

It would be great to have the opportunity to discuss further to see if my little boy has even been added to the urgent list and what this looks like.

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