Waiting Is One Thing. NHS Silence Is Another

How poor communication can leave NHS patients in limbo

Most people accept that NHS waiting lists are a reality of modern healthcare. Services are under pressure, resources are stretched, and patients often understand that treatment cannot always be immediate.

What is harder to accept is silence.

A recent patient experience highlights how poor communication can create unnecessary anxiety for patients while adding avoidable pressure to an already overburdened healthcare system.

A Referral and a Promise

On 8 September, a patient attended a local health centre seeking treatment for a blocked ear. Initial treatment was attempted, but the blockage could not be fully removed. The patient was advised that a referral would be made to a specialist service for further treatment.

Ten days later, on 18 September, an email arrived confirming that the referral had been processed and that the appropriate provider would contact the patient directly with an appointment.

At that stage, everything appeared to be progressing as expected.

Then nothing happened.

Weeks Without Information

As September turned into October, no appointment details arrived, nor was any further information provided about expected waiting times.

After waiting almost four weeks, the patient contacted the health centre on 14 October to ask whether any progress had been made. Staff agreed to follow up the referral.

The following day, the patient received a text message relaying a response from the specialist provider. The message explained that there was a substantial waiting list and that no indication could currently be given as to when an appointment might become available.

While frustrating, that information was welcome.

The obvious question, however, was why it had taken a patient enquiry to obtain it.

The Problem Isn’t the Waiting List

Waiting lists are often unavoidable and most patients appreciate that healthcare providers must prioritise cases according to clinical need.

The real issue in this case was the lack of communication.

Had the patient been informed earlier that significant delays were likely, expectations could have been managed from the outset. Instead, uncertainty grew with every passing week.

Many patients faced with the same situation would do exactly what this patient did: contact their GP surgery or health centre in search of answers.

That means additional phone calls, additional administrative work and additional pressure on NHS staff who are already working under considerable strain.

Ironically, better communication could help reduce that burden.

A Treatment Available on the High Street

The treatment required in this case was specialist earwax removal using microsuction, a common procedure carried out safely by trained practitioners.

Private providers, including high street organisations such as Specsavers, offer the treatment for a relatively modest fee, often around £55.

This naturally raises a broader question.

If accredited community providers can deliver such services safely and efficiently, should there be greater use of contracted external providers for routine procedures where NHS waiting lists are particularly long?

After all, the NHS already works with independent providers in some areas, including diagnostic services, cataract procedures and joint replacement surgery.

The challenges involved are undoubtedly complex. Funding, commissioning arrangements, clinical oversight and provider capacity all have to be considered.

Nevertheless, when patients face indefinite waits for relatively straightforward treatments, it is understandable that such questions will be asked.

Information Gives Patients Choice

The most important lesson from this experience is not about earwax removal.

It is about informed choice.

If patients are told honestly and promptly that a service is experiencing lengthy delays, they can make decisions based on that information. Some will decide to wait for NHS treatment. Others may choose to pay privately if they feel the cost is justified.

What patients cannot do is make informed choices when they are left without information.

Communication Is Part of Care

Healthcare is about more than appointments, treatments and procedures.

Communication is also part of patient care.

Keeping people informed does not reduce waiting lists, but it does reduce uncertainty. It builds trust, helps patients understand what to expect and may prevent unnecessary calls and follow-up enquiries.

In a system facing ever-increasing demand, that seems a simple improvement worth making.

Waiting may be unavoidable.

Silence should not be.

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