Well, after all the preparation getting my son ready for his ENT operation (grommets inserted and adenoids removed) and attending his pre-op appointment, where we told that everything was in order, the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, decided to cancel it indefinitely!
My husband and I were fuming. The Lister had asked for written confirmation, from the Royal Brompton hospital, that they were happy for my son to be put under general anaesthetic. We obtained this and I handed the letter to the nurse at his pre-op appointment.
The letter confirmed that my son's ECG results were all normal and that his heart was structurally sound - but this was not good enough for the Lister.
The following day I received a phone call from the nurse, to say that the operation could not go ahead until the Royal Brompton had diagnosed my son's condition. This could take months, if not years! Our consultant at the Royal Brompton had warned us that the anaesthetists at the Lister might not be sufficiently experienced to handle my son's case, but I had naively assumed that a more qualified anaesthetist would be brought in if that was the case. But no, they flatly refused to operate as it was 'in his best interests'.
I pointed out that my son needs the operation urgently as he is falling behind at school, due to hearing loss, and asked if they would still refuse to put him under general anaesthetic if he was hit by a car and needed surgery. The nurse said that they would, of course, operate under those circumstances as that would be an emergency, rather than elective surgery.
She then asked why the Royal Brompton hospital couldn't do my son's ENT operation. I was somewhat taken aback and pointed out that the Royal Brompton is a specialist hospital that deals with heart conditions, not a general hospital.
She then instructed me to contact my GP to get my son referred to the ENT hospital in London - which is where I had originally asked for him to be referred but my GP had insisted on referring him to the Lister!
Okay, fine that's what we'll do... or will we?
Forty-five minutes later I receive another phone call from the same nurse, this time using a mobile phone, to say that there would be no referral as the Lister consultant did not think that any consultants at the ENT hospital in London would operate on my son either.
Oh, really?
The following day, we sent an email to one of those consultants in London and he said that both he and his anaesthetist would be happy to perform my son's operation. I have therefore instructed (not asked) my GP to refer my son to him as soon as possible.
The Lister will not touch my son with a barge-pole and the feeling is mutual.
