st thomas's drs

[Climbing rose]

I am posting this in find a dr and in not yet diagnosed - I hope this is OK and apologise for the duplication.

Has anyone seen Dr Bessant at St Thomas's? If so, I'd be v grateful for any views on what he or she is like. Could you email me privately with any info please? I have no idea and had not come across the name.

I must say I am a bit upset to find that just one week before my long awaited appointment I have been changed to him or her. The reason I am upset is that I had deliberately asked for my appointment to be delayed by an extra 2 months on top of the 5 months it was going to be anyway, just so I could see Dr Hughes - and they agreed to this until the change I found out about yesterday. Do you think this is worth making a fuss about? As so many of you will understand, it feels like it's been a very very long road and that I will probably only get "one shot" at this, so now I feel rather anxious (not good on top of a 12 week miscarriage this week - to say I feel awful would be a major understatement).

Thanks ever so much in advance. Sandra

[hazey]

Hi Sandra - So sorry to hear of your sad news. You must be feeling dreadful. My heart goes out to you.

I don't know Dr Bessant, but I'm sure it won't be long before you get posts from someone who does. I've seen Drs Paul, Sangle and Da Cruz and they were all very kind to me and very approachable. However, if you really feel you want to stick with Dr Hughes, I would say make that phone call. I wouldn't call it fussing and I'm sure you won't be the first person to make such a call. In fact, why not try to get a friend/family member to make the call on your behalf so that any possible difficulties on the phone don't upset you even further?

My very best wishes to you. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/flowers.gif

Hazel

[Clare.T]

Welcome to the forum Sandra,

I am very sorry to hear of your sad loss.

I would be pretty miffed too to find myself with a doctor nobody has heard of when I had made special arrangements to see Dr Hughes. The news of his impending retirement from the NHS has been public knowledge since May at least because it was announced at the LupusUK Annual Conference

I'm sure that St Thomas's patients share your concerns about who will be treating them in future. The uncertainty is not helpful or health promoting

I was very pleased with Dr D'Cruz and Dr Kaul ( Is there a Dr Paul too ? )

Dr Hughes has left the NHS and gone into private practice as head of the New London Lupus Centre at the London Bridge Hospital ,a private Hospital, so I'm supposing the Centre will only take private patients.
The announcement says the rest of the team will be lupus specialists who have trained with him.

St Thomas do warn that you might see any member of the team. I think I would make some reproachful comment although I don't know where it would get you. Or to whom you would make it.
It was five weeks after my follow up appointment before I got the prescription send to my GP, despite five phone calls only one of which was ever returned and the promise made then wasn't kept.
Organisation doesn't seem to be a strong point.

Please let us know how you get on. Of course adverse comments about a doctor can't be made on the forum, as you realise but word soon gets around on the grapevine style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

Wishing you the very Best of Luck

Clare

[Climbing rose]

Thanks very much Hazel and Clare for your sympathy and advice.

I phoned St Thomas's on Friday afternoon, and explained to the appointments clerk why I was upset. She said Hughes had retired from St Thomas's at the end of Nov and the best she could do if I still wanted to stick with seeing Hughes or D'Cruz was offer me an appointment with Dr D'Cruz, which now will not be until 23 Feb, by which time it will be 10 months since my GP made the decision to refer me to St Thomas's. This is what I have decided to do - i hope I have done the right thing. I feel very unwell right now, so maybe it would be sensible to see someone sooner rather than liater, but at the same time I feel the whole reason for my GP and me wanting the referral in the first place was to see, in the first instance at least, a "super-specialist".

AFter I had spoken to the appointments clerk, at her suggestion I spoke and expressed my upset to the Lupus Centre manager. He explained that Dr Hughes had retired but claimed (though your info undermines this claim, Clare) that at the time I had arranged my Dec appointment with Dr Hughes (Oct) the hospital would not have known that Dr Hughes would be gone by the date of my appointment - i.e. the manager was not v sympathetic and claimed they had acted in good faith on the basis of information that was correct in October. He explained Dr Bessant is a locum covering Dr Hughes' work until the latter is permanently replaced, and insisted that she is a good doctor specialised in lupus. I have no doubt this is true, but I would rather have seen the doctor I was originally offered an Oct appt with than opt to wait an extra 2 months specifically to see Dr Hughes only to end up seeing a locum for my first assessment. So I have stuck with my decision to wait yet another 2 months. I do hope I have not made a decision that will be bad both for my health and for the impression St Thomas's have of me as a patient (and I must say I feel particularly anxious about whether or not I have done the right thing as the horrible emotional and physical effects of the miscarriage do not exactly make me feel very clear-headed right now). Do you think I have made a big mistake?

Thanks very much again, Sandra

[Christine UK]

Hi sandra,
i just wanted to reassure you and say how wonderful dr de cruz is,not just his manner towards patients,but also is knowledge.
I dont think you have any worries about the lupus unit,you will be fine.
by the way if its possible for you have you requested maybe a cancellation....if one pops up xxxxx

[Climbing rose]

Thanks Chris - I am grateful for the reassurance. And thanks too for the cancellation suggestion - I am on the cancellation list, but I gather lots of others are too so I am not v hopeful of an earlier appt that way. But you never know!

Thanks again, Sandra

[caper]

Hello Sandra,
Firstly, I am very sorry to hear of your loss.
I have been a patient at St. Thomas for a few years now, but only been 3 times (they are always so booked up, I have to wait ages for an appointment.) I asked recently, knowing that Dr. Hughes was leaving, what would happen at my next appointment, and was told it would be Dr Bessant or the New consultant. I am pleased to hear you got an app. for Dr. D'Cruz in Feb, I was told I would have to wait until Dec. 2006 if I wanted to see him (as a follow-up)
I too, dont know what to do. I am considering going to the private set up at the London Bridge Hospital, but am worried that it may not be worth the cost (not investigated that yet, but guess it will be a lot).
I will be very interested to know what experience anyone has of Dr. Bessant.
I hope all goes well for you when you go in Feb. (For what its worth, I too would have decided to go to Dr. D'Cruz if offered Febuary, like you have.)
Take Care
Caper