"telephone follow-up appointments"

waited 5 months for an appointment at the Pain Clinic, GP sent a letter to expedite my appointment and this was mislayed leaving me to wait longer.

Made a complaint and was given an appointment (as was told was taken off the list).

Attended and was informed to have an epidural spinal injection - this was done a week ago and was informed I would get an appointment.

Received a letter to have a telephone follow-up appointment 16th December, so I assume if I need to be seen again then I will have to wait a further couple of months or so.

At the moment I am in a lot of pain after the injection and am not sure as to whether it has worked, but now have to wait a further 2 months to speak to someone over the telephone.

I have had a spinal fusion that has been unsuccessful, so by the time I receive the telephone call back on 16th December I would have been in agonising pain since my operation for 1yr and 5 months.

This just goes on and on.

If I was wealthy and could pay privately then I would have had proper aftercare and constant physiotherapy, instant face to face appointments and I would probably not be in so much pain after a short time.

The NHS is so good at making people wait that in the end most people just give up trying to sort out their health problems - maybe this is just what the Government wants.

I was originally referred to Southampton for my Spinal Fusion last year and was informed at my GP Surgery that if I paid £400.00 then I could be seen quicker, as I was made redundant from my workplace last year this was not an option.

After waiting a very long time to get an appointment my GP informed me that Southampton would not see me as I was out of the area.

Apparently this was not true as my GP explained that as it was choose and book they were not allowed to not see me.

But they wouldn't and I was seen at Q A Hospital in Portsmouth, this added to my long waiting time just because I couldn't afford to pay and was even turned down by their NHS.

I have had nothing but problems with the NHS in trying to be seen with my Back problem, and so it now goes on that all I am offered is a telephone call back which I assume will not be from the Doctor but one of the nursing staff.

I have telephoned the Pain Clinic to ask to be seen for a follow-up and was informed that the doctor was on holiday and it would be up to them.

So in the meantime I have to return back to my GP and start all over again in trying to sort out my chronic back and sciatica pain.

This after paying for many years my National Insurance stamp it makes you wonder if it would be better if the NHS is scrapped and you paid a premium for a private insurance then the right people would get the right treatment and wuicker, so hence would sort the problem out. eg. when the Prime Minister had a back complaint he was seen and had an injection within a week, I have had my back problems since 2006 and am still trying to get it sorted out!