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Borders General Hospital 2015-05-20 Person 2 5 0

I had a problem with my right foot, born with equinivarus talipes (severe club foot). I began to have serious problems with it in Oct 2012. My GP referred me and by Jan 2013 I had heard nothing. The GP wrote again but meantime the problem had got so bad I couldn't wait any longer and used my private insurance (limited cover but enough to get the ball rolling). The specialist stated I needed a triple arthrodesis(fusion of 3 bones) and achilles tendon extension. He couldn't do the op himself because it was hugely expensive and my cover wasn't enough. He did ALL the x-rays, cat scans and MRI's needed, so that saved the NHS a great deal of money. Then I finally got my appointment at BGH. On arrival, I reaslised I was to see a traineee registrar. I knew at that moment that no decision would be taken that day because I needed to see the head honcho, problem was beyond a trainee. When I finally got into her office, it transpired I had been allocated to a clinic that deals with HANDS!!!! Another 4 months went by waiting for another appt. That appt saw me again with a registrar without the necessary skills to deal with my complex surgery. I had to have another appt. He arranged one for a month later. That arrived, I walked into the clinic to find I had been allocated to the same registrar, because the specialist was on holiday! The registrar went off to see Mr Gilmore, head of the ortho team and he immediately put me on to the waiting list, regardless of any trip to see my surgeon. I finally met my surgeon 6 weeks later. My surgery was scheduled for 21st Sept 2013. At my pre op assessment it was determined that my BP meds were leaching potassium from my blood and it was too low for surgery. I had to come off my BP meds and further tests were done a week or so before scheduled surgery. Everything seemed OK this time. Morning of the surgery, I was prepped, sitting in a wheelchair, arrow painted on my leg at 0800 but at 1500 was finally told surgery was cancelled due to my surgeon being used to treat crash victims. I was incandescent with rage by this time and a manager was sent to me to sort things out. I was sent home with the promise that surgery would take place at the Nuffield in Glasgow because they accepted I had been messed about too much already. Actually, I think it had more to do with the fact that I had by now, made a formal complaint. When I went to have my pre op tests done, I was told my BP was now so high, 220/110, it was imperative that I saw my GP, on the way home! Surgery was again cancelled. It took 6 weeks to get my BP under control and then my surgery was performed in Nov 2014. damn nearly 2 years after the first referral letter. And, the surgeon couldn't do the full op because the risk of infection to my poor foot (due to very poor circulation) was too great for a private hospital to take the risk. So I wound up with only a double fusion and no achilles extension. My advice, do NOT take it for granted that the admin is efficient at BGH, they lose referral letters, don't read them properly, don't allocate patients to the right surgeons and then have to pay for private care simply to make sure something happens. Unbelievable!