Treatment delay over India letter

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/hampshire/6616855.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A heart patient has criticised the NHS after her treatment was delayed for two months while she waited for a doctor's letter to be typed up in India.

Dorothy Nicol, 64, from Christchurch, Dorset, had an angiogram for a hole in her heart at the end of February.

Her consultant at Southampton General Hospital, Hants, said he would write to her in a week but the letter was typed up in India and only arrived on Monday.

The hospital said its outsourced letter typing was under "constant review".

Mrs Nicol, is still waiting for her drug treatment to be prescribed while the letter and angiogram pictures are sent to her consultant at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset.

The retired administrator said her quality of life has suffered during the wait.

(It has) proved very successful, both in terms of turnaround time and quality Mark HackettChief Executive SUHT

"It's not the hospital I'm complaining about," she said.

"It's the system whereby letters are sent all the way to India to be transcribed and sent all the way back here before they are sent out.

"I said to the consultant, 'why don't you send it to me and I will type it up'. I'm sure it would have been quicker.

"It's just ridiculous. The NHS is letting us down."

"It makes no sense at all to me. It may be cheaper, but it has been a nightmare waiting and waiting."

Mrs Nicol is already taking three different drugs to help her condition but hopes a fourth drug will stop her breathlessness.

Dorothy Nicol is still waiting for her drug treatment

Southampton University Hospitals Trust has outsourced its letter typing to India since August 2005.

In a statement, Mark Hackett, the chief executive of Southampton University Hospitals Trust, said the system has proved "very successful" in turnaround time and quality.

"The system has now been extended to other areas and, in the majority of cases, has a 24-hour turnaround time, with additional checks then carried out within the trust before letters are sent out," he said.

"However, the service is under constant review and we welcome all feedback about how it can be improved."