Over the past two years I've had a series of CT scans on the NHS. The normal waiting time for a routine scan is four weeks. After three weeks of waiting and still no letter of appointment, I rang the scan office. The scheduler told me that there is a backlog of scans in the Belfast Trust and waiting times have now been extended to nine weeks.
I expressed surprise at this delay and was told that the NHS was going to buy capacity in the private system to try and reduce the backlog. As far as I know, in Belfast there is only one private CT scanner that could be contracted - in the Ulster Clinic. As a private patient there you would get a scan within one week, however the charge to you for this would be £779.
Who said there was no rationing of healthcare? The NHS is under stress. And so am I.
No comments:
Post a Comment