John Hunter waiting times?

[shelleweb]

Hi,

I was just wondering the average wait time for your first appointment at the JHH and how many weeks you are when you usually get in to see someone?

I faxed my referral through and did ring to confirm my fax was received and was advised it could be 3 weeks until I get my letter advising me of my first appointment. It is 3 weeks this week and still nothing in the mail and being new to all this am wondering if I should ring again to see when my first appointment might be? I am currently 10 weeks along and just getting worried I might be cutting it fine to get my 12 week tests/scans done that I have been told are important. My GP is not doing any on going care, so I am in the hands of JHH, when I do finally get in to see someone!

Any guidance would be so appreciated right now :)

Cheers,
Michelle

[higgleandgoot]

Hi, I'm also having my bub at jhh. I called around the same time as you, and saw them when I was 14 weeks. If you're worried about tests etc, then I'd definately phone in, explain, and hopefully they may give you a better idea as to when you'll be seen. :)
I remember getting the letter, but if my memory is correct, I phoned in to get my appointment date as I was getting impatient! lol

[shelleweb]

thanks @Mummahh for the reply, think I will call them on Friday if I have not received anything by then :)

think I am just being impatient too, really want to see/hear my little one, still doesn't feel real yet!

[higgleandgoot]

I know the feeling :)
But it won't be long! Give them a call whenever, what's the worst that'll happen? I bet there's lots of other impatient woman out there besides us! lol

[shelleweb]

LOL as long as they do not put me to the bottom of the pile to teach me a lesson in patience :D

[shelleweb]

I spoke with JHH today, there is currently 6-8 week waiting list (from receiving referral to being processed for first appointment), so I will not be getting in until I am close to perhaps 18 weeks.

They were very helpful, and advised me my GP should be organising my 12 week tests/scans and this should be done 11-13 weeks (I am coming up to 11 weeks Monday!). So back to my GP I go to advise them of this! I have managed to get in to see my GP Tuesday afternoon, and hopefully get everything organised to finally get a once over and get to see/hear my little one, fingers crossed :)

It is so hard not really knowing how the system is supposed to work, getting there though!

[RmumR]

my bub is 4 mths and i am still waiting for my letter.lol. it neva turned up.
after countless phone calls i finally got a lady nice enough to make me an appointment over the phone

[mimsie]

It took me about 6 weeks to get in and I was 18 weeks before they saw me - they don't tend to see you in first trimester these days either unless you're seeing the early pregnancy service for some reason. I just saw my GP for everything before that on a 4-weekly basis like you would at the clinic, he did the antenatal check at those appointments. He sent me for scans/bloods and all of that on the usual timetable. He then sent results we had through with the referral which wasn't sent in until 12 weeks, and gave me copies to take to my first appointment of those in case they were lost and the ultrasound reports that had arrived after the referral was sent :)

Just at tip, first appointment is a long one where they do history etc so allow a good hour or so at least. I haven't had massive waiting times so far, maybe 20 minutes past appointment time maximum. If you can, book appointments around 9am for easier parking ;) much easier at that time. Possibly between 1-3pm too as it's the wards standard rest time, so less visitors. 11am is a nightmare time to park.

I book my appointments at 9 or 9:30, or 4pm (which is late and I often wait a while but they tend to try to get through quickly as they like to be done with clinics by 5.)

[shelleweb]

@RmumR yeah, I believe that if I had not spoken to the nice person I did today, that was willing to explain the process to me, that I too would have probably had to keep calling back, sure pays to follow things up!

congrats on your wedding btw, that was my birthday, how cool :)

[shelleweb]

Thanks @mimsie for the tips, will def keep that in mind when making my appointments :)

My GP has moved away from family practice, so guess he did not know, he just sent me off with a referral to JHH, I have not had any checks done yet, I was under the impression JHH did all that! Guess after I get through all these initial tests/scans, I really should find a new GP that is more family practice focused ;)

[mimsie]

No probs :) Have been going up since October so have the place sussed lol

Antenatal care is one of those things that changes all the time, so it's possible that when he last had a lot to do with it, they did see you from early on - with my other two I was in the antenatal clinic pretty much as soon as pregnancy was confirmed but now even that clinic in a different town doesn't want you before about 18 weeks either.

Just check your dates when you do get the appointment and remember to ask for the 20 week scan referral at the booking in appointment if you're close to that point. They like to send you to wherever you've been having ultrasounds, I go to hunter radiology on hunter st (next to the ibis) as they bulk bill everything :)

[shelleweb]

@mimsie you're a legend, thanks for all the extra info, you are making me feel wiser already :D

I do not live too far from hunter radiology so will suggest to my GP that I go there too :)
Did you go anywhere special to get your blood tests done in town?

[mimsie]

Yeah they are a good one, I've seen a lot of people pay a lot for the 12 week one but I had to do it twice (repeated due to being a bit too early the first time) and have been there for 5 scans now and haven't paid anything :)

I did my bloods at Laverty, they have a bunch of offices around town and they didn't cost me anything either. They said they were unsure if there were fees but if there were I'd be billed and not have to pay on the spot - nothing ever arrived :)

[RmumR]

shelleweb when ur looking for a new gp there are a heap of lovely ones at newcastle family practice in hunter st, and of the mall near the greater and iga.

its an all female dr practice

[shelleweb]

thanks @mimsie, you have helped me a great deal today, really appreciate it :)

have used Laverty before too, so yep will go with them again, and hunter radiology sounds perfect for me too, thanks again :)

btw, good luck for a few weeks, you are so close!

[shelleweb]

thanks @RmumR, will check them out to see if they are taking on new patients, I have found a few in town have closed books, that is how I ended up with the GP I did, they were kind enough to take me in when I moved here a few years back :)

I should mention my GP is great, we both just have a bit to catch up on with the current processes I guess! But he has mentioned to me he is not up on family practice and not headed in that direction anymore, so I will need to find a new GP once my little one is born anyway :)

[Veritas]

I can recommend Brunker Rd GP too.... Keep calling if Ur letter doesn't arrive... My sister, who is pregnant with what they originally thought were quite high risk twins, had to harass them to get an appt before 20 weeks, despite the referral being sent at around 7/8 weeks...

[2plusbaby]

sorry shelleweb, hope you dont mind but i'm crashing you thread;)

Just wondering when I should send in my referral. I live about 4/5 hours away, but due to a high risk pregnancy I will be delivering at JHH. My OB has no intentions of sending through my referral till around 30 weeks for me to see them at around 34 weeks. Up until that stage I will be seen locally by the antenatal clinic and my OB.

Any suggestions? I have never booked at one hospital to be referred on to another so I'm unsure of precedure.

Thanks:) (sorry again shelleweb, this seemed like the most appropriate thread)

[shelleweb]

No need to apologise @2plusbaby, it does fit really well into this thread, hope someone can be of some guidance to you :)

Not sure if the waiting times are the same for hospital to hospital transfers, but perhaps would not be a bad idea to ring the JHH to double check? I rang 02 4921 3000 and asked to be put through to the antenatal clinic, I had to go through a few prompts before I got to speak to someone (from memory #1 then #3), but it helped to answer a few questions for me :)

[shelleweb]

thanks @Veritas, have noted down eta on letter, will def follow up again if I have not received anything by then, cheers for the heads up :)

[mimsie]

Yep I'd call and ask them directly about that too, see what they say.

Thanks for the luck :) fingers crossed baby turns again (turning into a habit lately breech twice in 3 weeks, head down twice in same time frame) as JHH is one of few places I can try for vba2c and have been in midwife clinic specifically for it - everything else is going perfectly for it except position! Might have to can the idea if he's still breech on Tuesday :( will see!

[shelleweb]

grrrr... need to rant sorry.

went to my GP today to get my results from my 12 week tests and he advises me that the hospital had asked him to resubmit my referral sent back in Feb, apparently the first one was incomplete.

so he did this last week for me and advise me today to call the hospital to follow up and see if all is good.

i rang the hospital and they advised me they had received the referral and I was in the system but there is a waiting list. yes, i said, I know, I have been waiting since Feb!
she had a look at my files and advised me that the first referral was rejected and it is going from when this referral was received! not impressed. she did say she would put a note on my file that i have been waiting since Feb, but not sure what help that will be.

why is this not as straight forward as it should be? why has it taken 2 months for the hospital to decide to let me and my GP know the form was incorrect when i have spoken to 2 different people at the hospital on 2 different occassions to check up on my progress?

anyway, rant over, feel better, and have my fingers crossed I get into see someone at the hospital before the baby is born :D

[shelleweb]

They must have heard me ranting! I got a call this afternoon and my first appointment is Tuesday morning :)