"It's a shame I've spent three months in limbo"

In March this year I was referred 'urgently' to the gynaecology department at the NUH Treatment Centre due to severe pelvic pain/abnormal bleeding.

When I didn't hear anything from them by April I called and was told my referral is waiting to be screened by the medical team. Towards the end of April I called again and was told my referral was still waiting to be screened. I enquired about timescales for how long this could take and was told no idea! Unhappy I called again later that day and asked if I could escalate my concerns. The receptionist responded that there was no one I could speak to, even if there was then they would say the same thing and that they have referrals from 6 months ago waiting to be screened!

6 months just waiting for them to decide if you can have an appointment! They also suggested I complain to PALS - which I did, and they promptly responded that they had forwarded my concerns to senior management. I decided to wait for their response to see if I could gain a better idea of waiting time, however a month later no response. So I rang my local integrated care board and asked for my referral to be withdrawn from this hospital ASAP.

When I explained the above they were equally dismayed and said that doesn't sound right at all. Amazingly they found me an actual appointment at another trust for next week which is a huge relief. But now I wish I'd never asked to be referred to QMC. It's just a shame I've spent 3 months in limbo; why not be upfront about wait times from the onset so patients can make informed decisions about where they receive their care and not have to face hostile staff who gatekeep access to everything!

Be aware that the NHS my planned care website states average time to first appointment in this department is 11 weeks - this has been inaccurate and it isn't fair on patients like me, selecting a hospital based on this information!