"ENT waiting list"

My daughter (age 27) was referred to ENT at end of February this year after an MRI scan revealed that all 3 sinus cavities on the right side of her face were completely blocked and unable to empty due to polyps and thickening of walls. My daughter had been suffering severe headaches for a couple of years which were getting worse.She was told at her first ENT appointment in June that she would definitely need an operation and that they just needed an up to date CT scan. She was told she would be put on the waiting list and hopefully would not have too long to wait after scan.

She had CT scan in July and received a letter in August advising her that she was on the list for an operation.

She had not heard anything by September and her GP rang to chase appointment as she was concerned that the blocked sinuses were so full her forehead was swollen and distorted.. The GP was told that my daughter had slipped through the net and had not been put on list. which was going to be rectified. She then received an outpatient appointment for 6/11/15.

I attended this appointment with her. We were kept waiting for over an hour and then seen by a junior doctor who had obviously not read my daughters notes and originally thought that she had had her operation.

This doctor was very dismissive of the obvious pain my daughter was in and again told her that she had not been put on the waiting list and would have to wait 4 months for her operation.

The doctor talked a lot about the risks of brain and eye damage from this operation which frightened my daughter but was unable to give us a percentage rate. The doctor was not interested in the swelling in my daughter forehead and did nothing to reassure my daughter about it.

My daughter told the doctor that she was having to take strong pain killers daily and the doctor reprimanded her for taking them but did not offer any alternative.

We were told that emergency operation slots were only for life threatening cases but in July my daughter took an overdose because of the effect this condition was having on her life.

This condition and the constant, debilitating pain, has severely affected the lives of my daughter, her 2 young children and her partner.

We explained this to the doctor who just shrugged and told us there was nothing they could do about it.

This is not acceptable and we both feel very let down by the hospital. My daughter has been left very distressed and I am concerned for her physical and mental health.

On the ENT page of the hospitals website it states that the average waiting times from referral to treatment is 17 weeks. This is not true, my daughter has been waiting for over 8 months now and it is likely to be a year before she gets any treatment.

I am even considering making a formal complaint about the attitude of the doctor we saw.