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Psychiatric triage should be utilised for all specialties

Posted By spsps

"Psychiatric triage should be utilised for all specialties"

About: Aberdeen Royal Infirmary / Dermatology (Skin Conditions) Aberdeen Royal Infirmary / Liaison Psychiatry Nursing team General Practices in Grampian

(as the patient),

I really struggled with a dermatological issue which was also causing intense psychological distress. I had initally been referred to psychiatry who then re-referred me to the dermatology department. The waiting list for this was almost a year and I felt as if I would not be able to cope for another year without specialist help. I told my GP about how the problem was affecting me but he had said that there is nothing that can be done about the issue unless I see a doctor privately. Being a paediatric patient who dealt with problems of healthcare stigma in the family, I felt let down by the advice that my doctor had given me. I would have had to raise hundreds of pounds without a proper income while struggling with my mental health. I was having counselling at the time but he had said that I require further psychological help.

I feel that psychiatric triage should be utilised in all specialties, not just psychiatry itself. Patients can be let down if their symptoms are severely impacting the quality of their life and if their needs are not met within an appropriate timeframe. 

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Responses

Response from Maxine Callow, Deputy Service Manager, Medicine 4 (Medicine and Unscheduled Care Division), NHS Grampian 5 years ago
Maxine Callow
Deputy Service Manager, Medicine 4 (Medicine and Unscheduled Care Division),
NHS Grampian

Submitted on 13/11/2018 at 17:58
Published on Care Opinion at 20:06

Dear Spsps,

I would like to apologise on behalf of the Dermatology Department regarding the wait and distress you have experienced waiting for Dermatological review.

Please could you get in touch with your details so that we can investigate. Currently our wait is longer than we would like do to recruitment difficulties and a national shortage of Dermatology Consultants, however our wait for new appointments is not approaching a year. For a routine patient referral the wait is currently 29 weeks, the referring clinician also has the option to increase the urgency to urgent if they feel it is appropriate, the wait for an urgent referral is currently 5 weeks. With regard to psychiatric triage I will ask for this to be put on the agenda at the next quality meeting.

Please do get in touch so that we can speak to you about your specific case, my contact details are email: maxinecallow@nhs.net or telephone 01224 559578.

Kind Regards

Maxine Callow

Deputy Service Manager (Medicine 4)

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Update posted by spsps (the patient)

Hello,

I'm not sure if GPs are aware of urgent referrals to dermatology, because I had asked my GP if it was possible to shorten the referral time and he said that it was not possible.

Also, I had told my GP about a dermatological issue which caused anxiety and he had said that I would need to seek help from a private doctor as plastic surgery for that is not funded by the NHS. He had failed to address issues with mental health, and I think that this is something which should have definitely been investigated.

What are the chances of such triage being implemented?

Response from Maxine Callow, Deputy Service Manager, Medicine 4 (Medicine and Unscheduled Care Division), NHS Grampian 5 years ago
Maxine Callow
Deputy Service Manager, Medicine 4 (Medicine and Unscheduled Care Division),
NHS Grampian

Submitted on 07/12/2018 at 18:01
Published on Care Opinion on 10/12/2018 at 11:24

Dear Spsps,

I am sorry that you are having difficulty accessing an appointment with the Dermatology Department. Please could you get in touch with me by email or phone so that I can get your full details to investigate.

Kind Regards

Maxine Callow

Deputy Service Manager Medicine 4

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

Update posted by spsps (the patient)

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