"I was denied a second opinion"

my Oncologist promised a second opinion and emailed the referral in House at Charing Cross Hospital

I waited three weeks to hear when my appointment with the surgeon was for Breast reconstruction post mastectomy as the earlier fairly junior surgeon felt he would not be able to carry out the procedure.

I was told not to expect anything different to what the first surgeon had sai which at the time I felt was quite nasty considering the nurse andConsultant had earlier said the consultant plastics surgeon I was being referred to would be able to help.

Any how as far as I was concerned a second opinion would be a fresh start. I received a call at 7pm to say that the surgeon I was referred to will not be objective that’s why will not accept the referral and I should just go away and go to another hospital to get an objective second opinion.

I later learnt the senior surgeon consultant had read the ‘long’ letter the pre ious surgeon had written, albeit some material facts were incorrect and made is decision based on that letter.

I was also told that the hospital policy is to just agree with the first Dr/Surgeon do I wouldn’t have got a different answer any way.

The time I waited and the fact that I had cancelled an appointment at the Royal Marsden unit. As I called them to say I had an appointment for a second opinion at Charing Cross Hospital so would not need an appointment there.

I was duly discharged from The Royal Marsden unit.

The Oncologist however insisted that I could still call Royal Marsden stating I wanted my appointment now.

The surgeon there thought I was being made to run around unnecessarily on purpose as once a patient is discharged from any hospital that’s what that means so I would have to go back to my GP and was very apologetic that I’d been given the run around by Charing Hospital.