A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment with my GP to talk about the result of my recent blood test for PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). It was above the threshold at which they consider there is a possibility of having cancer of the prostate. The doctor referred me to the Urology department of a nearby hospital. Having been referred to the hospital before on a number of occasions I was expecting to get a letter from them confirming an appointment that I’d had no hand in making. This time was different: my phone was ringing far more than usual because different people were calling. The first call was to tell me I would be contacted within five days to make arrangements for a consultation a urologist. Two days later I was called to arrange a phone consultation with a urologist, which was booked for two days later. Later, on the day of the consultation, I was called to arrange an appointment, for an MRI scan.
The MRI scan was arranged for the following Thursday evening. This suited me just fine as I had family commitments in my diary during the week. I was taken aback when, on the following Monday I had a call about going for the MRI scan that evening and to see a consultant on the Thursday. Thursday was a busy day with a family commitment, as well as having to prepare a newsletter for a client, so a daytime appointment wasn’t welcome. But, apparently, I shouldn’t have been booked in for the MRI scan on the Thursday as it didn’t have an appointment with a consultant associated with it. It was at this point I learned I was on the “cancer pathway”. That’s NHS talk for being in the system and doing as you’re told. From the description of the “cancer pathway” I found on the NHS website, however, I got the impression that there was supposed to some consideration for the person who was on the “cancer pathway”. There didn’t appear to be any in my case.
I attended the MRI scan on Monday and got my results on the Thursday. Nothing untoward was found and the consultant told me the PSA reading was reasonable for a person my age.
The unseemly haste there was to get me into the system, leaves me with one view of it: there was/is too much emphasis on meeting the targets of dealing with these issues within an arbitrary time limit. A veritable sausage machine: feed the people in one end, and spit them out at the other as fast as possible.
I’m not having a go at the people in the NHS. Those that I have met have, with one exception, been kind, considerate and compassionate. On the other hand, the system they are working in is FUBAR. That may not be the best description, as the NHS system seems to be like that anyway, so maybe it’s SNAFU?
I’ve learnt that as the NHS system isn’t going to take into account my feelings, I have to look after them myself. Next time this happens, and I’m sure there will be a next time because my doctor’s been referring me for various cancer scares over the last nine years, I will insist on working at a speed that suits me. If that breaks the system, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.