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Red flag waiting times

Posted By Stressed patient

"Red flag waiting times"

About: Antrim Area Hospital / Breast Care

(as a service user),

In March, I went to Drs with lump in breast and was referred to breast clinic as a red flag case.

Patients are targeted to be seen within 2 weeks.  The waiting times in the NHS Northern Trust was stated as a mean of 3 weeks. After 4 weeks I  contacted the outpatients dept to be told the wait was actually 11 weeks! The waiting time now states 4 weeks on the website.

I feel that patients are being misled about the waiting times.  11 weeks is far too long to have to wait to be seen and disease could spread further within this time. Patients deserves openness and transparency.

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Responses

Response from Bernie Irvine, Interim Lead Nurse Surgery, Surgery, NHSCT 8 months ago
Bernie Irvine
Interim Lead Nurse Surgery, Surgery,
NHSCT

Submitted on 28/10/2024 at 17:35
Published on Care Opinion at 17:35

Good Afternoon Stressed Patient,

My Name is Bernie Irvine and I am the Lead Nurse for Breast Care and Surgery for the Trust.

I sincerely apologize for the waiting time you are experiencing and the impact this is undoubtedly having. The Trust endeavors to keep the waiting times to a minimum however the demand for the Breast Service is much greater than the resources available to the Trust.

We are keeping the situation under review and maximizing every opportunity we can to have our patients seen and treated.

Bernie.

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

Update posted by Stressed patient (a service user)

Thank you for your reply and I do appreciate that demand is outstripping resources. What I don’t appreciate is being misled about the waiting times. The NHS dashboard listed a mean of 3 weeks, when it was actually 11 weeks! Why was this? Had I known how long the wait was at the beginning, I would have gone privately. These waits could potentially cost women their lives and it's just not good enough.

On a positive note, when I did go for my appointment at Antrim Hospital Breast Clinic, the care I received was outstanding from start to finish.

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