"Lack of Communication, Referrals and Aftercare Regarding Spinal Injury"

Last year I fractured my C7 vertebrate after a cycling accident in France. I received excellent care and treatment at the French hospital I attended and after scans and consultations, it was decided that they would not operate on my neck and instead opted to fit me with a brace. At this time it was also suspected that I may have also fractured my T7 however this was inconclusive.

I was advised to wear the brace for one month and then have the injury reassessed in the UK on my return with the likely outcome that I would wear a foam collar.

I spent a further three weeks in France before being able to fly back to the UK. On return I contacted my GP surgery and explained the circumstances and that I required an appointment which would likely facilitate a referral to the correct department. Unfortunately, My GP surgery refused to see me and directed me to contact Neurology at the QEUH directly myself.

Taking the GP surgery’s advice I called the Neurology department who in turn told me that waiting times for an appointment were about nine months. I attempted to explain that I was wearing a very restrictive brace that was holding my neck and head upright in a fixed position and that being left in such apparatus for nine months would cause irreparable damage or worse.  I was simply told that that is the time I had to wait and to contact my GP.

I then re contacted my GP and I was told again that I was to contact neurology, I reluctantly done so and as expected I was told to call the GP. On this occasion I was given a telephone appointment during which I was prescribed naproxen and told that he would write a letter to the Neurology department.

More than a week passed and I again contacted my GP and after another telephone appointment I was finally given a face to face appointment at the surgery, during which the GP checked me over for tingling sensations and numbness I was having in my face and arm before referring me to Neurology.

I was then given an appointment with neurosurgery who reviewed my original scans and paper work I had provided from France and sent me for an MRI scan and X-ray.

I was then referred to a Consultant Neurosurgeon at the QEUH Neurology department.

In September 2020 I attended an appointment with the Consultant Neurosurgeon who advised I could now remove the brace and that I had been in it for far too long and a foam collar was now no longer necessary. They also advised that the severely restricted movement in my neck was due to being in the brace for as long as I was and that from my most recent scans the injury appeared stable.

They were aware that through my employer I had access to a wellness centre and physiotherapists. They rightfully told me that the centre could provide the care rather than making a referral to NHS physiotherapy and as such they would not refer me for physio.

I am an emergency service worker and in January I returned to work on modified duties. After consultation with my occupational health provider I was advised that the process to return to full duties included the signoff of the Consultant Neurosurgeon.

To date my occupational health provider have sent a request along with three follow up requests to the Consultant Neurosurgeon's office however none have been responded to. Moreover, in May I submitted an application for my acceptance into the aforementioned wellness centre provided by my employer to the consultant's office for completion, again there has been no response to this.

This is particularly disappointing when it was the Consultant Neurosurgeon who advised that I utilise physiotherapy through my employer and did not refer me for the NHS service. I have since sought physio sessions privately at a significant cost to myself.

I am aware that the global pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for the health service in all of its forms and that external requests are not being prioritised, however the lack of care, communication, guidance and a timeous referral process since my injury has delayed my overall recovery. In turn this has prevented me returning to full duties and operating in my capacity as an emergency services worker in a time where my profession is also suffering from an overwhelming volume of work.

From my previous experiences of NHS physiotherapy and on this occasion a complete lack of referral to the service by a Neurological consultant is testament to how poor a service is being provided.

I would like to conclude that I appreciate all the hard work being done by individuals within the Health Service and I genuinely do understand the challenges of this pandemic, however unfortunately the level of service I have received has been substandard.