Waiting for treatment – Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Posted on January 13th, 2022

https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/staying-well/waiting-for-treatment/

Please find below open letter to patients from Torbay Hospital

Dear patient,

You will no doubt have seen in the news that the number of people waiting for planned NHS treatment is at an all-time high. There are currently more than 31,000 people waiting for an appointment with us, compared to around 18,000 before the pandemic started.

Due to extraordinary pressure on our services, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are unfortunately not able to see everyone as quickly as we (or you) would like, particularly for our routine patients.

We absolutely understand that waiting for planned hospital tests or treatment can be a difficult and worrying time, and we are working hard, with all our colleagues across Devon, to bring waiting times down and to see you as soon as we can.

That might mean we offer you an initial video or phone consultation or an appointment at another hospital in Devon. We will also be referring people to the Nightingale Hospital in Exeter for orthopaedic surgery, cataract surgery and CT / MRI scans, when it re-opens in 2022 as a diagnostic and treatment centre serving the whole of Devon.

If we offer you an appointment at another hospital, this is because they are able to see you sooner than we could do at Torbay Hospital. It also means we think you need to be seen sooner, rather than waiting for an appointment in Torbay. Please do take up the offer of an appointment if we contact you. You will still benefit from the same standard of care as you would do here, and your Torbay team will have access to any test results and all your clinical records, as usual.

I’m sorry that we can’t give you a date right now for when we will be able to see you. But we can confirm that you are on our list, and can assure you that you won’t be forgotten. We will contact you directly when we are able to give you an appointment. How soon that is will depend on how serious your condition is and how urgently you need treatment. For example, cancer is always a top priority. For less urgent conditions, it could still be many months before we can give you a date.

There are lots of resources as well as up to date information on our website to help support you while you wait for your appointment. Please do take a look and see if there is something that might help you. We will update this page whenever there is news about our waiting lists and we will share details of everything we are doing to bring waiting times down.

In the meantime, please do let us know if you no longer wish to remain on our waiting list by emailing sdhct.pac@nhs.net. If your condition has significantly worsened and you feel unable to cope, please call the number on the latest letter you received from us.

We are so sorry not to give you better news, but do hope you will find the resources on our website helpful.

Yours,