NHS referral wait times round the country?

Posted Sun 11 Sep 2022 16.38 by josh93

Hi everybody, hope your well/hanging in there fellow Psoriasis sufferers. Have had psoriasis since 2011 and got a referral from the GP to see a dermatologist after reaching my wits end. Currently far too much coverage for enstilar, tried hospital UVB 4 or so years ago and after a private derm assesment I was told I would be able to try methotrexate or cyclosporine. My referral wait for an apointment is currently standing at six months (south-west) and I'm wondering how much longer the wait will be. Wether a matter of months or years. I'm wondering wether the wait time is the same all over the country or just at the hospital I am referred to. I imagine Psoriasis is at the back of the queue and their is a big volume of skin cancer patients who were unable to get vital treatment over the last few years because of the pandemic. I think they're may only be two dermatologists in the actual hospital so perhaps 2/3 years. What sort of waiting times are people currently experiencing with their dermatologiy referrals? My initial guess would be it will be around a year but I have no clue really. Cheers

Posted Sun 11 Sep 2022 16.48 by lizziep

Hi I waited 15 months in Leicestershire from March 2021 - June 2022. - When I enquired about getting seen earlier, I was told the GP would have to make a case for urgency, and to be honest it wasn't urgent. I was a post COVID returner but they treated it as a new referral as I had inadvertently been signed off. The nurse told me a lot of people had gone privately as they couldn't take the wait, but for me the price of the drugs stopped me doing that as I knew what I needed. However, I'm sure it varies hugely from area to area, so good luck to you.

To take part, sign in or register with us