Failure to diagnose

[Ultra Sound Guy]

Asking for a friend.
Purely hypothetically.
I have a friend who is definitely ill. For a few years now she has had no energy, difficult breathing, frequently falls asleep during the day but cannot stop her brain from going into overdrive when she goes to bed, severe brain fog and high levels of pain in her legs.
She has seen most of the doctors at our local practice and has had a myriad of suggestions as to what it may be, and an incredibly long list of what is not wrong.
Her mental state is suffering from this to the extent of us investigating the possibility of her going private in order to get a proper diagnosis.
If this was to happen, and they came up with a new diagnosis, would she have grounds to claim compensation from her local practice for the money spent to go private when they had failed to do this themselves?
She’s not looking to make any financial gain from this, she just doesn’t want to be out of pocket because the local practice failed to do their job!

[Mastodon2]

Ultra Sound Guy said:

If this was to happen, and they came up with a new diagnosis, would she have grounds to claim compensation from her local practice for the money spent to go private when they had failed to do this themselves?

No.

[sawman]

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

[Zumbruk]

After a year of trying to get the "loss of dexterity" in my right hand diagnosed (I have a *very* long list of things it isn't and a very short (empty) one of what it is) I've reached the conclusion that I had a rather optimistic view of the ability of the medical profession to identify and treat obscure stuff, and that in many such cases you may have to learn to live with it, with palliative care for side effects (pain, poor sleeping and so on).

Depressing, but there it is.

[PositronicRay]

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

[Ultra Sound Guy]

PositronicRay said:

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

SAWMAN.
Does this answer your question?

[Glosphil]

PositronicRay said:

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

Reading your post has made me realise that I suffer from a mild case of spasmodic dysphoria. Symptoms occur at irregular intervals & can be days apart. Had a camera down my throat to examine my vocal cords but nothing found.

[PositronicRay]

Glosphil said:

PositronicRay said:

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

Reading your post has made me realise that I suffer from a mild case of spasmodic dysphoria. Symptoms occur at irregular intervals & can be days apart. Had a camera down my throat to examine my vocal cords but nothing found.

Stress makes it worse, still got it, but knowledge is wonderful so it's about management. The I had treatment at queen's medical in Notts, one of the few consultants with specialist knowledge in the UK, but this was about 20 yrs ago.

It's not curable, but knowledge is a wonderful thing so I manage and control it without treatment.

It was a great such relief to actually have a proper diagnosis. This helped no end before the treatment plan even started.

One of the few conditions that an be improved with beer too.


PM me if you want to hear more.

Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 20th February 14:49

[jjlynn27]

Ultra Sound Guy said:

PositronicRay said:

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

SAWMAN.
Does this answer your question?

If I was asking the same question as sawman, it wouldn't answer mine. I'd ask the ent guy why the diagnosis was different. All the docs/surgeons that I know that work both the NHS and private would do their best regardless of the setting. Anything else is just absurd.

[PositronicRay]

jjlynn27 said:

Ultra Sound Guy said:

PositronicRay said:

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

SAWMAN.
Does this answer your question?

If I was asking the same question as sawman, it wouldn't answer mine. I'd ask the ent guy why the diagnosis was different. All the docs/surgeons that I know that work both the NHS and private would do their best regardless of the setting. Anything else is just absurd.

Consultants are people, some people are more difficult to deal with than others.

[jjlynn27]

PositronicRay said:

Consultants are people, some people are more difficult to deal with than others.

That still doesn't explain a different diagnosis from the same guy, does it?

[Ultra Sound Guy]

Could it be that consultants in a private hospital have access to more and better resources?

[ucb]

Not usually the case. Equipment in my local centres of pp are similar to thar in the NHS.
PP will use NHS facilities for specialist or rare investigations too

[PositronicRay]

jjlynn27 said:

PositronicRay said:

Consultants are people, some people are more difficult to deal with than others.

That still doesn't explain a different diagnosis from the same guy, does it?

No it doesn't, but difficult having a discussion with an arrogant and superior git. Particularly when my ailment was a speech impediment, exacerbated by stress.

No additional tests, may have peered in my throat I don't quite remember. I was only in the surgery for 5mins, a bit of chin scratching and a 'can you get up to Nottingham?' There's a guy up there that specialises in this sort of thing'

I was so thankful to have a referral, I was out of there like you wouldn't believe.

Awkward individuals in all sorts of walks of life,

Physios are another one, often a huge difference between private and NHS treatment.

[Panamax]

PositronicRay said:

Physios are another one, often a huge difference between private and NHS treatment.

Anyone who's achieved ANY physio on the NHS has pulled a good one out of the bag. No chance whatsoever round my way.

And then there's the long list of surgical procedures that NHS simply won't pay for, while at the same time offering sex changes and breast implant corrections.

[PositronicRay]

Ultra Sound Guy said:

Could it be that consultants in a private hospital have access to more and better resources?

Equipment is similar often shared.

But as a private patient you get to pick and chose your consultant.

[jjlynn27]

PositronicRay said:

No it doesn't, but difficult having a discussion with an arrogant and superior git. Particularly when my ailment was a speech impediment, exacerbated by stress.

No additional tests, may have peered in my throat I don't quite remember. I was only in the surgery for 5mins, a bit of chin scratching and a 'can you get up to Nottingham?' There's a guy up there that specialises in this sort of thing'

I was so thankful to have a referral, I was out of there like you wouldn't believe.

Awkward individuals in all sorts of walks of life,

Physios are another one, often a huge difference between private and NHS treatment.

I'm missing something here. I still don't get why the same guy would be so different between private and the NHS. A disproportional number of my friends are consultants working both in NHS and private. None of them would treat patients differently regardless of setting. Very odd.

[Freakuk]

My dad was ill for some time, they went through all kinds of tests, prostate op's amongst other things over the course of a year or two until one day they did an ultrasound of his bladder, large inoperable tumour. He had another op to assist with urinating but knowing full well he might have a year or two left, he lasted 6 months after the final diagnosis. If someone had thought to perform an ultrasound of his bladder first could he still be here, I'll never know.

And weirdly 3 months after his death my mum was struck down will what we assumed was severe food poisoning, admitted to hospital and days later she sadly passed away too, she was just on a ward being monitored, again if someone had actually spent some time, doing tests etc maybe she would still be here.

There's nothing I can do to change the above and it's not something that I really spend much time thinking about as I'd just get angry and upset with potential mis-diagnosis for them both, probably doesn't help the OP, but if there's a second opinion I'd take it.

[ovlovlover]

PositronicRay said:

sawman said:

what makes you think the private clinic will be able to make a diagnosis?

This is the bizarre thing. I had a unusual condition (spasmodic dysphoria) NHS diagnosis was nodules on vocal chords speech therapy the treatment.

Using BUPA the same ENT consultant came up with a different theory and referred me to a specialist in this field for diagnosis and treatment, under the NHS.

You couldn't make it up, same guy, 2 different approaches dependant on whether private or NHS clinic.

Financial incentives for private healthcare?

OP: No unless there's obvious negligence. If they've investigated to a realistic degree and referred where relevant then they've done nothing wrong. Tbf people with vague symptoms are difficult to diagnose/investigate with efficiency.

[PositronicRay]

jjlynn27 said:

. Very odd.

Isn't it just.