"I dont feel heard, cared for or acknowledged"

To begin with, I was told this practice was a great choice which is why I chose to go here instead of the other option for my catchment area. 

To get an appointment at this practice, you have to call at opening time, it's same day appointments only. When I call, it takes multiple attempts to get through. I don't mean three or four attempts, I mean hundreds. I have attempted to make appointments for DAYS with this practice. One morning I called from opening time until 930am, that was 156 attempted calls only to be told they were out of appointments for the day and to try again tomorrow. No one should have to spend an hour and a half calling the same number over and over again for someone to answer only to be told their time was completely wasted. I am a busy mother of two young children with little help, I don't have the time to do this, I should not have to choose between my health and my time. 

I had finally made an appointment and saw a GP, I voiced my health concerns with them, and they informed me I should be referred to haematology and an ENT for issues I was having.

Six weeks into waiting for this referral, I call to follow up and see how my referral is going and speak to a different doctor who said that it would probably be a bit longer as they were backed up due to covid.

I then demand to be seen again 6 weeks after that so three months after being told I was referred. I am seen in person again by the same GP and I ask how my haematology referral is going and the GP informs me they never referred me. I ask for an explanation, and they inform me that they never said a referral would be made.

So... why did the other doctor I speak to see that I had been referred if I was never referred?

The GP then takes my bloods there (not sure why should couldn't have done that the three months previous). I still ask to be referred to haematology and this does not happen. I then request a different doctor. 

I then get to see a different GP, who I have heard good things about. At the appointment they take more blood work. I get the call on a Friday at 5:45pm, the GP tells me my blood results are indicative of lymphoma cancer. I ask them to explain to me (while my children are in the background screaming) The GP informs me that my lymphocytes were low, that I will be urgently referred to haematology where a bone marrow biopsy will be taken.

The word cancer was mentioned multiple times in the conversation. I then ask for all this information could be sent to me over via email because I wasnt understanding what was being said to me and I wanted to read over it to better grasp what I was being told. The GP told me the system was down and they would not be able to email me until the following Monday. So I was told over the phone that my results were probably cancer, then was left over the weekend with no information to help me understand where this information was coming from.

On that Monday, by noon I had still not received an email so I called the practice and asked for my blood results and for the GP to email me like they said they would. The receptionist emailed over my blood results shortly after but I did not hear back from The GP until that Thursday, nearly a whole week later.

6 days of sitting on very heavy and disturbing information with no support from my GP. In the email the GP writes that haematology doesnt seem to think my referral needs to be urgent but that they still thinks my results could be pointing to lymphoma or a viral infection. I then had to wait a month to be seen by the haematologist to only be told that my results show absolutely nothing. They dont know what is wrong with me but my results show nothing relating to lymphoma at all. 

Then on top of all of that, I waited two weeks for a cervical screening as I am overdue by quite a while. I had to make sure I had childcare and my husband had to take of work so that I could make this appointment. I get a text message at 8pm the night before to tell me that my appointment was cancelled due to the nurse not being in that day. So my husband missed out on work for no reason (his shift was given away) and now I have to call up again and wait for another appointment. 

I am at a loss for words at my treatment by this place. I have been trying to get answers to my illness for months upon months and I am no where closer than I was. I have lost the ability and will power to call up and make appointments because I am not getting cared for. Why should I call for help?

either:

A. no one will answer

B. there will be no appointments left by the time I get through

C. I'll be told I am referred when I am not

D. Ill finally get an appointment after all the hoops to jump through only for it to be cancelled less than 12 hours before hand.

or E I'll get terrifying rushed results handed to me over the phone on a Friday at closing time. 

Where are the standards of care? 

I feel like no one should have to feel dread on top of what they are already feeling health wise when calling up their GP. I shouldn't have to feel overwhelming anxiety when I need to call but I do, I need treatment but I cannot make myself deal with this place anymore.

It's heart breaking and frustrating,

I don't feel heard, cared for, acknowledged.