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Breast cancer treatment

Posted By Amac22

"Breast cancer treatment"

About: New Stobhill Hospital / Radiotherapy University Hospital Wishaw

(as the patient),

Following routine breast cancer screening, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The staff at Nelson Mandela place were lovely but what then followed was a conveyer belt experience that seemed to take no account of my needs or concerns.

For some reason, I was referred to Stobhill Hospital despite living and working in Lanarkshire. In summary, despite initially being told I would receive treatment by end of June. I was then told the provisional date for my treatment was end of July. Well outside the target for treatment! The reason? As there were no radiographers available to do the pre op procedure.

Only by repeated telephone calls, tears (on my part) and begging did I finally get the message across that I really didn't care which hospital I went to as long as I got my treatment started. At that point my multidisciplinary team, started calling in favours to get me onto the list at another hospital.

I met with the staff and surgeon at Wishaw hospital. What a positive experience! They took time to listen to me and really seemed to understand and share my frustration. Indeed the surgeon advised that if I had been referred there in the first place I would have been treated in June as they have capacity! Frustrating for all concerned. And who can say how this unnecessary delay will impact on my treatment and eventual recovery.

So NHS Scotland and your administrators, please get your act together! Stop referring patients to Stobhill who can't cope with the demand! And start looking at the individual needs and circumstances of patients. No more conveyer belt treatment!

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Responses

Response from Lynn Mack, Cancer & Haematology Service Manager, NHS Lanarkshire 7 years ago
Lynn Mack
Cancer & Haematology Service Manager,
NHS Lanarkshire

Submitted on 08/07/2016 at 11:46
Published on Care Opinion at 16:43

picture of Lynn Mack

Dear Amac22

Thank you for taking the time to post your experience of the breast screening service, and both Breast Services at Stobhill and Wishaw General Hospital.

I am sorry to hear that your experience was mixed and that you were referred to a Hospital outwith your geographical area for investigation and treatment. I do hope that the positive aspects of your experience has outweighed the negatives.

I will share your feedback with all relevant Teams of the respective areas so they can reflect on your feedback and improve future planning of onward referrals more appropriate to individual needs.

I hope you are keeping well and your treatment is going to plan.

Warmest Regards

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Response from Lisa Ramsay, Patient Experience Public Involvement Team Support, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde 7 years ago
Lisa Ramsay
Patient Experience Public Involvement Team Support,
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

I work in a small team within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Part of the team’s role is to support patients and carers through our feedback systems which will help to improve the services we provide. On Patient Opinion, I support Lorna Gray, Patient Experience Public Involvement Project Manager, and Niall McGrogan, Head of Patient Experience Public Involvement.

Submitted on 11/07/2016 at 15:09
Published on Care Opinion at 16:18

Dear Amac22

Thank you for taking the time to post on Patient Opinion. I am sorry to read about your recent experience of the breast screening service.

I appreciate this must have been frustrating to be referred to Stobhill Hospital as you live and work in Lanarkshire and then to be told that your treatment was delayed, can only have added to what must be an extremely stressful time for you.

I would like to be able to provide you with answers to the issues you have raised here on Patient Opinion. To do that, I have shared your feedback with colleagues in our breast screening service and I will come back with an update and share it here.

I would like to wish you well with your treatment.

Best wishes
Lisa

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Response from Lisa Ramsay, Patient Experience Public Involvement Team Support, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde 7 years ago
Lisa Ramsay
Patient Experience Public Involvement Team Support,
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

I work in a small team within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Part of the team’s role is to support patients and carers through our feedback systems which will help to improve the services we provide. On Patient Opinion, I support Lorna Gray, Patient Experience Public Involvement Project Manager, and Niall McGrogan, Head of Patient Experience Public Involvement.

Submitted on 15/07/2016 at 15:10
Published on Care Opinion at 15:11

Dear Amac22

Further to my response above I have been asked if you would be able to contact me at Lisa.Ramsay@ggc.scot.nhs.uk with some personal details in order for the service to investigate further.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes
Lisa

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Response from Lisa Ramsay, Patient Experience Public Involvement Team Support, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde 7 years ago
Lisa Ramsay
Patient Experience Public Involvement Team Support,
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

I work in a small team within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Part of the team’s role is to support patients and carers through our feedback systems which will help to improve the services we provide. On Patient Opinion, I support Lorna Gray, Patient Experience Public Involvement Project Manager, and Niall McGrogan, Head of Patient Experience Public Involvement.

Submitted on 13/09/2016 at 15:42
Published on Care Opinion at 17:15

Dear Amac22

Thank you for sharing your experience on Patient Opinion. I am sorry about what you have experienced with our services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

It may be helpful to explain that within Glasgow and Clyde we have been managing a significant rise in referrals to the breast service in recent years and patients are directed to the hospital where we can provide both investigative and operative capacity.

Unfortunately we are reliant on the provision of multidisciplinary group of staff to deliver the service and at times this can be a challenge due to competing priorities.

We are aware that Lanarkshire Health Board have recently increased their Surgical service and we have been negotiating with Lanarkshire Health Board colleagues to repatriate the Lanarkshire Health Board patients, who traditionally were managed via Breast Screening at the Victoria Infirmary.

We would hope to bring this to a conclusion in the coming months thus ensuring local access for patients from Lanarkshire Health Board.

Kind regards
Susan McFadyen
General Manager

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