"Terrible communications"

If you have the money go private. Beyond being patched up which is still quite a wait, the NHS is a headache to navigate and use for any longer term issues, I say this for myself and others experiences.

Referred for diagnosis by GP after initial test results, this was lengthy process itself.

After being referred and seeing a consultant, they even left extra time for next appointment for certain test results to come in that they booked so we didn't have to wait on anything and reappoint.

The trust has lost/misplaced one set of results, another diagnostic test was not booked until the day of my second appointment, though I've been led to believe this should have been done on initial appointment, I'm not the person who requests these tests, I understand if it's a follow on diagnosis but I've been given impression this other test should have been performed before my 2nd consultation, this was organised via emails as I've also been informed I missed the 2nd appointment when in fact it was my consultant who missed it, I sat for 3 hours waiting for a call. I now have to wait 3 months for another consultation unless a cancellation comes in, In the meantime, one test that should have been booked in the beginning has now only just been booked and I've had to rebook for one of the tests where they lost my results. All holding up potential treatment. In June I will have been about 8 months in diagnosis stage for something that could reasonably approximately take 2-3 months if done competently.

If you have the money I would go private. The NHS is not what it once was. It's always had its blips but the last 2-4 years trying to access NHS services has been the worst experience of the NHS in my entire life. When I was young in the early 90s I heard of the waiting lists, but whenever I needed to rarely access services as an adult in the late '90s or early 2000s, I found the NHS fundamentally worked for myself and others, this is not the case anymore; at least in east Kent.

I've asked for potential time frames after final diagnosis is complete for potential treatment with no answer. I've tried to contact someone outside of the consultant in case this is not part of their remit. The switchboard seems the only place to go and has no idea, they kept trying to transfer me to a number which is no longer used. I asked to speak to the Ashford or Margate instead of Canterbury. I now feel basically stuck in a limbo without raising some kind of complaint.

The level of frustration dealing with NHS now is only matched by the utility companies, at least they are not dealing with your health.