"aftercare and communication"

In June 2012 I was admitted to the Neurology Dept. in the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow. I had phoned my Consultant for my scan results but was told they had not receive them yet but will go looking for them. About an hour later the consultant phoned my work to say there were abnormalities shown and I had to be admitted immediately. The consultant apologised for the delay in getting these results and said if they had them sooner my life would not be in as much danger as it was.

I had major surgery. The surgery done by a different doctor was successful but the aftercare has been abysmal. Around about a month after surgery I returned to the ward as I was not improving any. I waited six hours to get a scan. Til this day I never found out what was on the scan. I was never given a followup date to go back and see my surgeon. I phoned the secretary on several occasions to asked the results of my scan and if I could talk to my surgeon to see how my condition was. I never knew if I was improving or not as the surgeon never returned my call.

My physio even phoned and emailed to ask what kind of physio was required because everything she did was not improving my condition so what was advised. She never got any reply to her communication therefore my physio was stopped.

This lack of communication has been going on since for 9 months since I left hospital. I was taken back into hospital for an angiogram and tricks scan at the end of last year. I never got my scan, left hospital being told they would phone the following week to come in for the scan. It never happened.

Again I had to make the phones calls to see when it was going to happen. The secretary kept saying she did'nt know anything about it. Eventually during one of my phone calls to the scan department they said their scan machine was being repaired that week and they had space if I could make it one afternoon as they had no patients then.

I went the beginning of the year, got the scan and was told the reporter would have it completed and back to the surgeon within two weeks.

This time passed of course and I never received any phone calls or letters with the result. Again I kept phoning the secretary and was told they did not received it where the scanning department said they had.

I had to keep phoning and fighting to get my results and an appointment made with my surgeon to discuss them. As usual it never happened.

Last month I got a phone call from his secretary to come in and see my surgeon to discuss both my tricks scan and angiogram results. The time gap was the result of both surgeons trying to meet up to discuss both results.

I respect that things take time to get through the system before meetings can be arranged but in my case it was non existent.

If Doctors work loads could be decreased and more time allocated to catch up with their admin work then maybe I would not be writing on this page.