"Even worse than feared"

This review is related to the clinical genetics service. I thought the test for the breast cancer gene had been performed in tissue removed during surgery in November 2022 and I was waiting for the results, when actually, I was waiting for an initial referral, which took about 16 months. The appointment was very unhelpful, an unpleasant experience where the interviewer couldn’t work out my age when initially diagnosed, and kept telling me I was over 40 at the time, despite being clearly told I was 39. ‘Evidence’ of family cancers was requested, for example, a death certificate for someone who died in 1971! I thought this was meant to be a service providing early warning for people at higher risk, when at this rate I could be dead before they get round to making a decision. You can’t get a straight answer from them about the actual inclusion criteria either. Now the interviewer has gone off chasing data for likely another few months. I would avoid and go private if you can afford to.