"Consultant's attitude - a ..."

What could be improved

Consultant's attitude - a case of hubris I think!

Involvement of patients in decision making

Some explanation of findings and reasons why procedures are recommended

Communication between hospital and GP (though I fully accept that this is very likely the fault of the GP)

Anything else?

After suffering unusual stomach pain, and one occurance of black stools, I was sent for an endoscopy which I was told indicated a stomach ulcer. No follow up checks were made but when I phoned about this I was seen by a consultant who diagnosed my stomach pain as osteoporosis and said there was no treatment for it, just part of getting old. He sent me for a blood test

Later I received a letter telling me to go for a colonoscopy, no explanation.

I phoned several times to ask why, and who would carry out the prodedure and received no answers. I then asked my GP to find out but she said she had no information.

I decided then to pay for a private scan which showed no stomach ulcer but a hiatus hernia and the virtual colonoscopy showed no problems. This was later confirmed by the nationwide testing programme for colon cancer.

I was never asked to return for a second endoscopy to check if the 'ulcer' had gone and in general I find the health servives of the hospital fragmented, the consultant arrogant and rather bored with having to earn a living, sloppy in follow up, but with some very nice nurses. I was never given a choice of hospital by my GP but in future I will avoid Newham General.