"ENT and a CT result that has taken 3 years to get me a diagnosis"

I've recently seen the Consultant at ENT at the RHH regarding continued left ear pain since 2020. They showed me a CT that I had done by ENT in 2021.

I have previously raised via Care Opinion that the SpR I saw was not helpful and was dismissive of my symptoms. My last contact with them was a telephone appointment in 2021 to discuss my symptoms and the subsequent MRI (after CT was said to be unremarkable on their letter to my GP) and they discharged me back to my GP.

I shared my feedback on Care Opinion about my treatment following the discharge. It has also meant continued effort by both myself and my GP to get me referred back to ENT and to have a thorough face to face assessment and to be seen by a Consultant due to the longevity of presenting problem.

I was referred back to ENT by my GP, who I believe asked that I be seen by a Consultant not a Registrar due to length of symptoms. I saw a different SpR in 2022 (not a Consultant), who sent me to Dental and to Dermatology services to rule out other causes, which I feel was not necessary and delayed my eventual diagnosis and wasted NHS resources.

It was planned that after Dental (2022) and Dermatology (2023) I would go back to ENT. No follow-up was arranged, no letter sent asking me to make an appointment and I had to call and explain why I needed to arrange an appointment (luckily I was still on the caseload for ENT and had not been lost/discharged in error).

I was eventually seen by the Consultant for ENT in 2024 (almost 3 years after having the CT) and they showed me the same CT results and stated I would need to go to specialist Dental service in Mexborough (no longer available at Sheffield) due to TMD and TMJ Osteoarthritis noted on a CT scan.

This means that the TMD and TMJ were visible on the CT I had 3 years ago and I have been sent needlessly to other departments for other assessments when this could have been managed much sooner. I want to know why it was not picked up by 2 Specialist Registrars and it has taken this long to see the Consultant.