A 17-year-old girl is being forced to seek private treatment on her tonsils – which at times make it hard to breathe – after the NHS said it would not fund their removal.
The girl’s mother, Elizabeth Collings, said her daughter has suffered since she was a toddler and was told by ear, nose and throat (ENT) consultants, both NHS and privately, her tonsils would reduce in size.
Now, years later, Mrs Collings says they haven’t. She said:
“Every time she gets a cold they go straight to her tonsils, they get massive and she cannot breathe. Even without an infection, her tonsils are still huge.”
Her daughter has had to find a different way of breathing, particularly when exercising, so she is able to participate without passing out.
Despite raising the issue with her GP throughout 2020 and being given multiple courses of antibiotics, she was told she had not had tonsillitis enough times this year to even get a referral to the ENT consultant on the Island.
With no other option to get them removed, Mrs Collings and her daughter have been to see private consultants in Southampton who told her it would cost more than £2,500 to have them removed.
Mrs Collings said:
“We don’t have the sort of money but we are doing this for our daughter because she needs to have it done. But being forced into having to do this is unfair.
“The first thing the ENT consultant said when he saw her tonsils was he thought they ought to come out.
“They didn’t take her seriously and it made her feel very uncomfortable.
“Doctors have a duty of care to keep people healthy and it would not have taken the GP a lot to refer her to the ENT on the Island, but he wouldn’t.”
Dr Michele Legg, clinical chair of Isle of Wight NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said while she could not comment on individual cases, tonsillitis was a common childhood illness which could continue into teenage years and adulthood, causing ‘severe pain and discomfort’. She said:
“Generally having your tonsils removed is not routinely funded by the NHS. The Island follows the same set of clinical criteria as Hampshire when it comes to funding this type of procedure. These guidelines are also in line with national ones.”
In exceptional circumstances, Dr Legg said patients can make an individual funding request to the CCG for consideration if they do not meet the relevant clinical criteria.
E.N.T at st Mary’s are diabolical they didn’t even diagnose glue ear that our G.P had , although the consultant wasn’t even going to look in his ear until we actually asked him to. Still no outcome though another answer of he’ll grow out of it even though he has multiple ear and chest infections. The G.Ps and hospital consultant s need a kick up the backside and start working for your money and no blaming covid there’s more illnesses to be treated just as urgent !
no, but they will waste taxpayers money, routinely sucking fat out of someone or cutting bits off to make them look like the opposite gender.
I’m told that sticking bits on costs even more.
Having tonsills removed used to be a very common operation on children years ago. I expect one or more penny-pinching governments removed this simple operation from the agenda to reduce costs. Ridiculous.
Yet they all want a pay rise
It took me 2 years of having Tonsillitis every month before they would remove mine, it’s very annoying and unfair but you just have to keep persisting, as soon as they swell or get infected you have to keep going to the doctor. Worth it in the end, I had mine out in February and have had no trouble since!
I find this disgraceful and defenceless in this case concerning a young 17 year suffering unnecessary awful discomfort. The mother should not have to fund an operation one penny. Dr.Michelle Legg should hang her head in shame. She should have fought this case as a one off . When did tonsil operations ceased to be done? Is this how far our NHS has sunk? Just wish I was well off enough to fund this myself.
I sympathise as had mine out at 17. Best thing ever as people who are not afflicted by this condition do not understand how debilitating it can be. Not only is your throat sore but it makes your ears ache which is worse in the cold. Good luck.
absolutley disgraceful why should a child should be charged for simple operation now only day surgery just wait till she gets quinsys which could turn poisionus then burst very serious
I’m currently under the ent consultants at st Mary’s. I went to my gp in November last year only to be given a nasal spray and was told that should help with my ear problem had to go back a month later as it still not right so he referred me to ent in December managed to get a appointment in June this year only to be told by the consultant he couldn’t find anything wrong but just in case he wanted to do a ct scan which then showed up I have a cholesteatoma in my ear which if left can destroy your hearing and can grow into your brain and could eventually kill you. I’m now on the waiting list for surgery but thinking back if he didn’t have the ct scan done he would of discharged me with a possible check in 3 months time.
I wish you well for the surgery. I had this exact same condition and unfortunately lost hearing in the affected ear for good as it took 4 years to get diagnosed. Also expect to be very dizzy with loud ringing in the ear for a good week or two – they don’t really tell you anything up front. All the best.
And these are the people you’re expected to clap for?
Wow, I’m so offended
As a child of the 70’s/80’s mine were removed without such a “fight” Once when the island had numerous smaller hospitals all capable. I’d have to confirm with my parents (I was 5 ish) but I think it was Ryde children’s hospital – now long closed. (Unrelated medically but had a foot op recently – referred from Newport to MIDDLESEX (I’m convinced i was sent there in the hopes i wouldn’t/couldn’t follow up to have the op – if I didn’t have family on the mainland it would have been financially and physically near impossible as I was unable to walk more than 2 feet (although, yes with crutches, taxi, train, boat, taxi – home not “easy”) so returning home would have been logistically uncomfortable shall we say so without to & fro transport plus over night stay I’d never would have had the op I swear could have been done i Newport for what was done in fact I’m sure a B&Q employee with a dremel could have done a reasonably good attempt – it wasn’t a technically difficult procedure. Why do we have these departments that appear incapable of the procedures they are titled after?.
My daughter has the same problem! They won’t give us a refural to ent and we got told she hadn’t had it enough times to get them out! How you can let a child suffer is beyond me good luck x
Ridiculous. The removal of this girl’s tonsils is clearly a necessity, and it should be done by the NHS. Dr. Legg is confusing this urgent case with the routine removals of tonsils in the past which were commonly unnecessary.
I to suffered and had mine out when I was 50 years old.
This was on the main land before I lived on the Island.
I was always ill and missed a lot of school, as a child my Mum was told I would grow out of it. For some years this seemed to be the case until I worked in a school and became so ill they were removed.
I wasn’t very nice to have them removed at 50, I developed an infection and had to be admitted again and put on a drip !
Why they didn’t take them out as a child I will never NO.