"Ongoing treatment - cancer patient"

Some years ago I was diagnosed with lung cancer, my then consultant privately referred me to a doctor who performed excellent ground-breaking keyhole surgery to remove sections of lungs at a private hospital. So far so good- at no cost to NHS! Move on a few years, I am now not privately insured( age barrier) so I ask through my GP to see the same doctor who does half a day a month at East Surrey- as I have a continuous cough which is causing me concern. A date is set for early September, the doctor who performed my surgery is accompanied by a junior colleague - x-rays show no cancer returned, hooray! So the doctor asks their junior colleague to see me about this cough & lung problem AND the next day writes to him- copy to me and my GP - asking him to see me. Again so far so good. BUT then it gets really silly.  The junior colleague then writes to my GP ( does not copy me in) and says he cannot see me until the GP refers! Even though he has a letter from his senior colleague asking him to do so... So my GP writes and requests an urgent appointment for me mid September. Nothing is heard until early November when a 'standard' letter is received from ESH saying they will at some time up to TEN weeks grant me an appointment. Meanwhile my cough and health continue to deteriorate.

As a well know newspaper journalist says " you couldn't make it up". No wonder the NHS is a model of inefficiency.