a bit worried info please!!

[pinkladyMK]

just wondering how long you have all waited or are still waiting to hear about ur funding?
i havent applied for mine yet as was told by my gp the hospital (whittington hospital) will apply and it also says taht on their website and as starting to get a bit worried as i keep reading on posts that everyone seems to have applied themselves and not sure if i should wait or apply myself?
im in buckinghamshire pct.
any info would help xxx

 

[elffie01]

hiya my pct is Bradford and obviously all pct's are different for some strange reason
But basically I was referred for surgery in October last year and was told there was a 6 month waiting list, Heard nothing till I chased this month to find out that the pct had removed the worry of funding and my referral was passed through funding without me having to do anything.
What they do now is they hold all referrals until they have funding available and then release to either private ( where im going ) as they have no beds or to the nhs hospital for appointments and bookings. My wls has to now be done before 19th oct this year as there is an 18 week pathway from the pct, Im sure this pathway is a pct criteria for all pct's and not just bradford

also a bit of advise is use you PALS service which is linked to your pct, they are pretty good at giving you info and checking up on things for you. I use mine a lot if i have questions and they were the ones that chased my referral up and put me onto the right dept

 

[thinkbethin]

My GP applied for my funding when I asked to be refered for weight loss surgery. Once the funding came through (which took about 1 month) my GP refered me to the hospital. All PCT's work diferent though so I can't really help as I don't know how your area works. Good luckxxxGaynorxxx

 

[pinkladyMK]

thanks so much for the info eliffe i was wondering if you knew where i could get my pct PALs contact details from?
or should i just try googling it?
thanks again for the info hunny xxxx

 

[pinkladyMK]

thanks for the info gaynor xx

 

[phatmomma]

I would suggest looking for your pct website. That should have the information for PALS which is the Patient Advice and Liasion Service. They really are there to help YOU the patient. I am sure there is an 18week pathway as a general standard, i think it starts from the date of your first appointment but am not sure so don't quote me on that.

Good luck

 

[elffie01]

think this is them
Contact Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) - OBMH though i could be wrong lol. I just rang my hospital and they put me through


my 18 weelk pathway started from the date the Spire got my referral, but as ive been thrown to tprivate rather than nhs it might be different

 

[pinkladyMK]

thank you so much eliffe ur a star xxxx
i will contact them tomorrow to see wot they have to say.
and thank you BOTH again for the fantastic help and advice
i think if i hadnt of found this forum i would be a nervous reck..... well more than i am now lol
xxxxxxx

 

[Fashionably Late]

In my PCT, the hospital applies to my PCT for funding once they agree I require surgery.

 

[tashaliza]

hi pink,
my pct works differently, i went to my gp's to ask to be refered for wls and they said that i have to see the consultant first and that if they accept me then they will apply for funding afterwards, so every pcts different.
hth tasha xxx

 

[mandym1]

My GP appplied for my funding and I was successful but it took 1 year for approval to com through because either PCT or my GP lost my details. I never did get to the bottom of it but from what I have read it shouldnt take as long as that.

 

[marky v]

in honesty, i have no idea how it works here in Leeds....I decided to go to speak to my doctor after a friend of mine told me i'd be a perfect candidate for WLS....went and spoke to the doc and she refered me onwards and upwards....i then got an appt to see a community dietician who went through what i had and hadn't done to try and lose and obviously keep the weight off....she then agreed i could be refered onwrads and upwards again....i received a letter telling me to choose between Leeds Nuffield or Leeds Spire private hospitals as the NHs hospital clinics were full....i chose the Spire (as i live close to it and i know the parking was plentiful) and waited....i received another letter, this time for an initial consultation with Mr Pollard at the Spire and chatted to him and he agreed to do my surgery, he also told me i was having it done at the Spire and not at Jimmys or LGI (which i was chuffed about), but at no time did anyone mention funding whatsoever to me, i just took it for granted if the surgeon said 'yes', basically that was that, i've had a very smooth run in honesty, and cannot grumble in any way at all

 

[pinkladyMK]

i think ive just found out that milton keynes has their own pct i might be wrong but i think it does ill soon see tomorrow when i phone them

marky v it sound very good, in all honesty i hadnt thought about fund till i came on here and then strted to panic a little but the wonderful people on here have calmed me down which i thank them for.

the only thing is i havent had to go see anyone i went to my GP on 22nd june 09 very straight forward and said he would refer me as ive tryied everything he has given me then i got my 1st appointment at whittington hospital on 6th august for a educational meeting about 3 hrs long so im told and thats it so far i havent got a clue wot comes next or if im ment to do something or just wait soi think im just gonna ring my PALs and see wot info they can give me
and fingercrossed. not long now till ur op how are ya feeling?

 

[marky v]

i suppose i'm excited but a little worried, it's a big operation, but i'm doing it for the right reasons, so for that i feel fine, 5 weeks tommorrow (the 24th Aug) i go in, i have the op the day after in the morning i believe, i have a pre-op assessment on the 19th August just to make sure i'm fit enough, which in all honesty i should sail through, i start my pre-op diet on 14th August, i have a low carb low fat low calorie one rather than some who have the fluid diet of milk and the like, so before i know it, i'll be in and done and dusted, the 1st day of the rest of my life arty0019::happy036:arty0019:

 

[LizzieBee]

My wls has to now be done before 19th oct this year as there is an 18 week pathway from the pct, Im sure this pathway is a pct criteria for all pct's and not just bradford

(Hi! I had thought that the 18 week timescale had applied to my surgery but was told that as long as I was seen for an initial appointment within the 18 weeks then the surgery was not under a time limit. Hope I'm wrong in your case.)

My funding took less than a fortnight to come through and that was over the Christmas period. My GP applied, I don't think the patient is involved unless an appeal is needed following an initial refusal.
Lots of luck with it!
Lx

 

[fuze]

The whole of the NHS (not just WLS) is supposed to now on an 18 week system and that 18 weeks is from the day you GP refers you for treatment to the day you have your definitive treatment (ie in our case surgery). WLS has only recently been included in this 18 week system as it was previously not seen as an 'essential service' and the PCTs in general did not have a specific fund for the money to come out of for these procedures.

I know that in my PCT/region they are trying to stick to the 18 week system (they see 18 weeks as from date of funding referral) and my PCT now hold a funding panel once a month and they have made the funding referral system easier, so all the GPs have to do is send them a form with the details they need.

HOWEVER, not all PCTs are doing the 18 weeks system yet and those that are do not count the 18 weeks as being from the GPs first referral to the definitive treatment (as they would if it was anything other than WLS for example if it was for knee surgery or hip surgery etc). As every PCT has their own criteria it is difficult to know what each PCT classes as 18 weeks, some class the referral for funding as the start of the 18 weeks as some PCTs require a patient to have been through several months of weight management clinics (this is now the criteria for my PCT [this criteria recently changed to this on the 1st of April]).

So basically as yo can see it is a minefield! As others have said I would contact PALS (just phone your local hospital and ask to be put through to the PALS office) as if anything they can do the research for you to find out what the process is in your PCT.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!!

 

[claire36uk]

I went to my GP at the beginning of April about being referred for weightloss surgery and i recieved the funding letter saying i'd been accepted end of April, had my first appointment at Birmingham 1st June and am having my operation 29th September. Good luck with it all X

 

[fatbutnot4eva]

I have no idea !
how bad is that
where i am yu have to do a minimum of 6 month weight management and you are the referred to the hosptal and surgeon. so I am hopin that if you are referred after the 6 months you have funding BUT i could be wrong, time will tell I have my app in 3 weeks with Mr ammouri at salford royal xx

 

[Karma67]

hi I'm with Bucks PCT and my GP had to write for funding as my hospital Luton & Dunstable will not see you unless you have funding in place...and as you are in MK I presume yu will be referred to the L&D as St Richards in Chicester have closed their books/refferals for 10 weeks as they are inundated at mo.

Also the 18week rule for me is that I should have surgery within 18 weeks after i've had surgeon appt which is after I've seen bariatric team and lost 5% of my body weight.

Hope this helps x

 

[fairyringuk]

Hi Pink and Karma I am under L&D too. Pink you will be referred to Luton but from people I know in MK their funding is much easier to get than from Luton, so you should be allright, do you have any comorbidities as if so e.g. diabetes you will get the funding allright.
Even without I know people at present who have got funding from MK.
Karma where do you live and when are you going to Luton for your appts.
I have had my first appt ion 27th April, and my second is due on the 18th August, not long now. I will be seeing the nurse, dietician and psychologist, so will probably be put on milk diet then.
Do let me know where you are at, and Pink let me know how you get on. Mail me privately, you too Karma its easier than on a thread Good luck

Jay xx