NHS Bureaucracy gone bonkers

I know most of my blog posts sound like a rant against the NHS.  Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful that we get free medical care here in the UK but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

I was diagnosed with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome by Dr Hakim on 14th November 2013.  I paid privately for the consultation.  A couple of weeks later he wrote to my GP detailing the consultation, my diagnosis and most importantly a treatment plan.  He said I needed 12-18 months physio on everything from my lower back down to my feet.  His physiotherapist at the Hypermobility Unit had recommended an NHS physio who worked at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

On 5th December I saw my GP and she agreed to refer me to the physio at Northern General.  I was very happy and hoped I wouldn't have to wait too long for an appointment.  Yeah, sometimes I am a hopeless optimist, but you have to think positive...

Last week I telephoned the Northern General to find out what was happening.  They said they had no record of me on their system.  I was passed onto to someone else who explained that physiotherapy don't accept GP referrals and the letter had probably been passed on to Mr Stanley.  I was told I should hear something later in the week.

Today I got a letter from Northern General.  It's an appointment to see Mr Stanley, who is apparently an orthopaedic surgeon.  I guess I should be pleased but I can't help but feel annoyed because I don't need to see an orthopaedic surgeon.  I have my diagnosis and I have a treatment plan.  I need to see someone who can carry out the treatment plan.  That person is a physiotherapist, not an orthopaedic surgeon.

It seems ridiculous that the NHS are sending me to see a consultant just so I can access physio.  It's a waste of NHS time and money, and it's a waste of my time too.

With mindless bureaucracy and poor organisation no wonder the NHS is struggling.  I keep thinking of all the people desperately waiting for a orthopaedic consultation when I'm getting one and I don't even need it!  It's stupid but what can I do?

All I can do is use up another day of my husband's holidays, get my mum to babysit the children and go to Sheffield for an appointment I don't need to hopefully get on the waiting list for an appointment I do need.