"Advice line, waste of time"

I have just read the previous review and can say that I agree wholeheartedly with the comments made.

I have been a patient of this department for many years, and up until 2-3 years ago was always happy with my treatment and the care that I received. My consultant retired and was replaced with a very nice, but inexperienced person, who has now also left.

I was put on a new injection in February of this year, and this medicine is not working for me. Over the past 2 weeks I have called the nurse advice line 3 times

The first call was on a Monday at 8.30 in the morning, I did not get a reply till mid afternoon the following day, then the nurse told me to give her a couple of days, and she would get back to me.

Nothing happened, and by the following Monday I called again, and left another message requesting that someone call me back.

By weds, my husband who was coming to the hospital on an unrelated appointment, with our daughter decided to call into the rheumatology department to ask why, had no one got back to me.

He was told my referral had be mislaid and that there had been a lack of communication.

I had been in pain constantly for almost 3 weeks and eventually I was seen, and given a joint injection. I realise that the NHS is under extreme pressure, and that the staff are probably not as enthusiastic about their jobs any more, like the previous comment, I am struggling to hang on to my part time job, it would be helpful if, when I call the advice line someone responds, only those in continuous pain on a daily basis will be able to relate to my predicament.

Seems this department has gone downhill.

My next appointment is with a rheumatology nurse, not my consultant whoever he or she may be ??? I will tell her that this medication is not helping me at all, and then I will have to wait yet again to be able to tell the consultant the same thing!!!!

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