Asking for a close friend who graduated Aug 2025 from Midwifery.
There has been no band 5 jobs in London since.
Her registration lapsed in Aug 2026 and she left the NMC register one day before automatic disqualification.
No jobs in between.
Now she'd like to give it a try for one more year and trying to rejoin the NMC register.
The website is asking for a referee from someone in NMC register that she knows and has been in touch with in the last 6 months?
And a referee from her latest employer which in her case there is none? (both mandatory fields)
What is the best course of action here? Should she contact NMC?

i’m at the beginning of my mrcp journey now with 0 NHS experience however all i keep seeing are discouraging comments and insane waiting times for jobs. i’m aiming for non training jobs ofc as i know IMT can be a far stretch. do i actually have a chance here or am i being delusional?

Does anyone have any experience or have you heard of anyone getting an offer after an interview where you didn’t get the specialist nursing post you applied for however got put on a waiting list for similar posts for 6 months? I’m just curious.. should I still be hopeful?

Hello everyone, I hope someone is able to lend some advise. I'm posting on behalf of my mum who has worked for the NHS for over 21 years at a large hospital.

For years now she has been coming home in tears due to the lack of professionalism and compassion she sees towards her patients on a daily basis. She has tried making complaints but this has only ever gone against her. Her ward manager is a lot younger than my mum and is very clicky with some of the other staff members - she is essentially turning a blind eye to the poor standards of care being given and allows certain staff members to stand by as my mum is struggling to deal with elderly patients. She is also pretty much managing my mum out of a job. Tonight was the final straw for me. She has come home absolutely distraught! I will be emailing the hospital myself - anonymously - and will also be reaching out to the local newspaper. I've told my mum for many years now to try and gather evidence of the wrongdoings on both the staff and the managers part, but she has always refused to take concealed video footage, as this breaches certain laws, or so she tells me. She does however have people who she has worked with in the past confirm that they will give statements. She has spoken with the union and exhausted all other support networks, where her concerns have unfortunately always fallen on deaf ears. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction where I can begin to surface these issues with people that will actually take action?

Thank you.

You have a family member in the NHS you get to do whatever you want, kill anyone hurt anyone. Get away with anything. Same for teaching.

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer (triple negative) back in March that had unfortunately spread to the adjacent lymph node and a small area in her pelvis.

The plan was that she would undergo chemotherapy and then have the primary and the lymph node removed a few weeks later and that a course of radiotherapy may be required for her pelvis.

She had a couple of scans (CT/MRI) prior to her last chemo which showed that the primary and secondaries had reduced and there was nothing new, so we thought we were on track.

Then it was just radio silence, we heard nothing for weeks and I had to start to chase various secretaries to try to get answers.

We finally had a meeting with her oncologist on Monday and apparently the plan has changed, she will no longer be getting surgery as the cancer has already spread!

The current recommendation is that she continues with the Phesgo injections and also takes estrogen suppression medication; the scans will be repeated in a month or so to check.

After the scans she'll be referred back to the MDT .

My wife is a radiographer who has worked within the NHS for over 30 years so she knows a bit about how it all works.

She is struggling cognitively with chemo brain so I'm having to do a lot of the leg work and I don't know where to go for here?

I didnt know what tag to use lol, but i went to my physio appointment (herts area) she said she was going to refer me to get an mri done, does anyone know the waiting time, or how long it takes?

I have been going through extreme destress and upset after a recent re-occurence of a family betryal. I get a call from the nhs. I explained i needed to speak to someone because of thats going on, struggling to sleep, relentless thinking etc... and need a 3rd party view on things.

Later in the call when asked about substance abuse, i shared that i used cannabis daily.

Immediately it seemed, the cause was now aparant to them. I was referred to pathways, and told about how much of a terrible drug it was.

I understand weed can cause mental health issues but for me I find it helps alot. The main reason this annoyed me so much is because it feels like because I smoke it negates my right to be depressed, and its like they think the family betryal is only a problem because I smoke.

I was also given advice regarding someone to speak to about my problems later in the call.

Am I right to feel abit annoyed here?

Hello there, I'm an italian MD specialised in radiation oncology with 3 years of experience in palliative care in Italy. I recently moved to Scotland (Edimburgh) for family reasons and I'm currently gathering all the paperwork to practice as a doctor here. I’d love to hear from fellow doctors—ideally in palliative care—about what working in Scotland is actually like (e.g., home visits, night shifts, ward life, etc.). Any info will be appreciated.

I’ve got an interview for a B4 RA role in the Mental Health Services Dept of a Trust, and they have been pretty vague about visa sponsorship as below:

If you are successful and you require sponsorship, your eligibility will be reviewed in line with the information on the UK Government’s website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK. 

I’m confused as to what to do, as my grad visa is ending in around 3 months, and travelling for this interview is a considerable time and financial commitment. Any advice? Thank you!

Hello,

After struggling to get answers on the nhs over my worsening symptoms and normal bloods.

I went to a private gp for a tailored blood package, which has come back with some answers.

Now I can't really afford to go fully private so I was given a formal letter with test results and request for further investigations.

Which my NHS gp is taking seriously and has requested guidance.

The issue is, I didn't fully read the letter before handing it over to gp surgery to be scanned on my medical records.

There are some timeline mix ups and relevant information missing.

I really struggle to describe symptoms face to face given the fatigue and brain fog, turns my brain to moosh.

The receptionist at my gp surgery said she can upload what ever I write but, I'm not sure if it should be in letter form and who to address it to?

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

Hey everyone, I needed to vent this because the sheer amount of diagnostic failure my partner and I have experienced over the past few months has left us both angry and deeply worried about how the current primary care system treats ordinary patients.
For context: I (24M) am a scientist, and my partner (24F) is a hospital radiographer. You’d think having medical literacy and understanding how diagnostic pathways work would make navigating the healthcare system straightforward. It didn't.
Here is how primary care failed both of us on two completely different conditions:

Case 1: My Eyes
I developed metamorphopsia (visual distortion) and severe photosensitivity (high sensitivity to light). I managed to get an OCT scan from spec-savers that showed clear structural changes in my retina, which is a massive red flag in eye care that warrants an urgent specialist referral.

The GP’s response: Looked at it, dismissed it as "dry macular eye," and told me point-blank that there was "nothing to be done." No referral to the hospital eye service. No follow-up. Just sent me on my way to live with progressing visual distortion.

The Reality: I had to advocate for myself, bypass the GP, and pay out-of-pocket for private care. The specialist immediately recognized it as a Stargardt disease subtype (a genetic macular dystrophy that likely leads to blindness over time).

The Aftermath: I’m now awaiting genetic testing results (ABCA4 line) and managed to source NoIR 97 filter glasses myself which are know to enable me to keep my eye sight for much longer, and have made a massive difference to my daily glare and comfort. But if I had listened to my GP, I’d be sitting at home in the dark believing I was helpless.

Case 2: My Girlfriend’s medical dismissal.

While I was fighting for my eyes, my girlfriend developed severe, debilitating pelvic pain, pain during sex (dyspareunia), secondary vaginismus, chronic fatigue, sleep loss, and loss of appetite.

The GP’s response (x4): Over the course of weeks, four separate GPs told her it was "just a virus" and sent her away.

The Gaslighting: Despite her telling them her symptoms made her daily life miserable, they repeatedly forced her to take pregnancy tests at multiple appointments instead of running actual pelvic investigations. When she finally went back with me standing silently in the room, they suddenly agreed to do an exam, only to default to treating it as a basic "infection" without confirming anything on swabs.

The Reality: In total desperation, with no primary care doctor willing to look further, she ended up in A&E. The hospital team immediately recognized the severity, ran urgent scans to rule out cervical cancer, and after weeks of specialist testing confirmed adenomyosis (her uterine lining growing deep into the muscular wall).
The Aftermath: She is finally on proper medical management and pelvic floor therapy, but it took a hospital emergency visit to get basic gynecological care.

When we look back on this, what terrifies us isn't just that these individual GPs were clueless, it’s the realization of what happens to people who don't have our background.
We knew how to read scans, we knew what medical terms meant, we knew when a doctor was giving us scientifically impossible answers ("a virus doesn't cause vaginismus"), and we had the privilege/stamina to keep pushing, pay privately, or go to A&E.
What happens to someone who doesn't speak English as a first language? Who doesn't know what an OCT scan means? Who can't afford private care? Who trusts their GP implicitly when told "it's just a virus"?
They get sent home. They live in pain. Their vision degrades. Their conditions worsen.
The 10-minute appointment model and aggressive gatekeeping mean GPs are defaulting to low-effort shortcuts instead of basic clinical curiosity. If two medical/scientific professionals were treated like crazy, hysterical, or uneducated patients, the system isn't just under pressure, it’s actively failing the people who need it most.
Has anyone else had to become their own specialist just to get a basic diagnosis?

I've just started a course at university as a mature student and recently found out that the NHS does a full employment check. A couple of years ago I was unemployed for 3 years due to mental health but have pulled through and started working again. I've worked for a couple of years and am now about to start a degree. I suspect I've had CPTSD the entire time. Will this affect my chances of getting a job when I graduate? I know the laws around discrimination, but in reality there is so much stigma around employment gaps and mental health.

Any insight would be great.

Thank you.

I’ve been a nurse for 7 years, currently band 6 and progressively got tired of the low pay at the NHS. I’ve been thinking about applying for a healthcare management MBA and came across the NHS GMTS. Does anyone have experience/ has heard of someone going for it as a RN? Is it a good thing to do? I started the application but keep thinking about the fact that we’re expected to resign from our jobs. If anyone has completed the training what are the jobs prospects? Are you working in or out the NHS? Thank you in advance ☺️

Hi all,

So in January of 2025, I was referred by my GP for a neuro consult and brain scans due to ongoing migraines that we wanted to make sure weren't the result of something worse. I never heard from the hospital I was referred to, and followed up a few times, but it was a Routine referral so I was told it would take a while.

I saw an optician today and he did some tests and basically he is also worried that there might be a neuro issue causing the migraines and screwing with my eyes, so he said he'd make the same referral as the GP but mark it Urgent.

My question is, basically, what happens now? How urgent is Urgent? Also optician said at 10am that it should be on my NHS app by midday and as of 5:13pm it's not there, so at what point do I follow up considering the optician did use the phrase brain tumour?

Anybody got any idea on any questions they could ask in interview and any tips for the interview thx in advance :)

they never contacted me on Friday so I’ve called them every day but they haven’t answered the phone. getting really sad and frustrated

I had a femoral line inserted into my groin for the first time today. Before the procedure took place, the doctor had a cold/freeze numbing spray used on me to numb the area. It was continuously sprayed into my vulva approximately four times and this caused an instant burning, acidic pain that lasted for several minutes. (It is the evening now and I still feel discomfort down there.)

When I told the doctor that this was causing me immense pain, he didn't say or do anything. He was completely apathetic and just carried on with the procedure whilst I clenched my legs closed whilst trying to cover my genital area with my hand over my hospital gown. I sobbed throughout the procedure due to this burning pain.

My pain was brushed off and I was told that this pain had been caused by 'anxiety'. I was repetitively offered anti-anxiety meds, despite not having an anxiety disorder.

When the procedure actually started, it triggered a severe sickle cell pain crisis. This was ignored and the man just kept going. I had to grab onto my phone as hard as I could to try to distract myself. I tried so hard to keep as still as possible.

I was vocal about both issues during the procedure: i.e. the freeze spray causing a burning pain in my genitals and also about my sickle cell crisis when it started. He did not stop at any point or give me a short break or any time to breathe.

I was gaslit about my pain continuously and repetitively offered anti-anxiety medication (and at one point, paracetamol). My vagina did not burn because I am 'anxious'. It burned because you carelessly and excessively sprayed a chemical substance onto it! Why were anxiety drugs pushed so hard on me?

I am not someone who struggles advocating for myself when I need to, but my concerns are never taken seriously (i.e. not even verbally responding to acknowledge that I had expressed severe pain and discomfort - I essentially just talk to myself because I don't even get an 'oh, okay' or just a grunt of acknowledgement).

I feel as though the above would not have happened had I been a man. This is just speculation and I am ready to accept that I may be wrong on this point.

I am lucky that I insisted on having my boyfriend in the room with me as I have a loving and understanding partner who is able to provide me with some comfort. He tried so hard not to cry whilst trying to comfort me today and it absolutely broke my heart to see the pain/sadness in his face. I could see that he was trying to be strong for me and I felt so sad seeing him like this.

The account detailed above is just one of the endless examples I have experienced. I have had multiple yearly experiences similar to this for many decades now as I have had to deal with this sort of thing from when I was an infant (my mother used to try so hard to advocate for me from infanthood, so that is how I know this was happening back then). As someone with severe health issues, I have always regretted making the decision to seek emergency medical assistance or consenting to treatments. I always wonder why I bother. I feel so dumb every time I am hopeful or optimistic.

--

I live outside London and a train ticket to my appointment cost £90 today. I have some friends who have said they'd like to support me and come to appointments with me, but I do not feel comfortable asking people to spend that much money on the train every couple of weeks. Side note: I am annoyed I spent this much money on travel for this bullshit day. If I knew the above would happen, I would have never consented to undertaking this treatment that is meant to happen every few weeks. I would love the extra support, but I don't want receiving that support financially burdensome for them.

--

How do other people handle or get through experiencing medical trauma repeatedly or traumatising hospital experiences? I am the only person I know with my health issues and I feel alone and isolated not knowing anyone with severe, chronic health issues who understands what this feels like. I have read so many published news articles and posts over the years of patients with my condition detailing similar experiences of poor care, so I know I am not the only one who has to deal with this.

[I don't mean this in a mean way, but I am not interested in hearing about people who, for example, maybe broke a bone once and had their injury understood and addressed right away.]

I would very much appreciate hearing from those who have severely debilitating, lifelong illnesses that are constantly misunderstood or brushed away repetitively. I would like to hear from other patients who try so hard to advocate for themselves when they are at their most vulnerable and how they handle it when it fails.

#oneofmanystories #sicklecell #NHS #rant

Hi everyone,

Ive been trying to get refered to a geneticist through my GP due to some concerning symptoms that the neurology team has stated is out of their scope but my GP denied to do the referal as aparently the geneticist team is reallt tough to get into. I am wondering if anyone has had experiences with the nhs geneticist teams? Because im stuck at the moment, I'm in the process of looking for a private geneticist but am wondering if anyone had any recommendations? Im preferably looking for one that offers private referrals but is on the NHS/could requests blood work through the NHS even if a private consult is made?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Ok so I know there's bigger issues in the nhs but can someone please teach them that patients have lives, yes even ones with lots of health issues.

Was expecting a call today at 9am. I've been waiting months for this referral, got texts saying if I miss the call I'll be discharged. Missed half a lecture but eventually gave up and went, staying alert in case I had to leave the lecture to take the call. Nothing, eventually called the appointment line and sat on hold (I have call waiting on my phone so I wouldn't miss the call) and when I got through they just casually said "oh it has probably been cancelled, they will get in touch"

Also got a call today from a different department, who want me to talk to their consultant. He will ring at some point on Friday. I begged for some indication of time and they said they will try for the morning but can't promise anything and seemed quite annoyed that I was asking.

These aren't casual calls, they are deeply personal and private, and quite upsetting. So it's not just the insulting presumption that I'm sitting around doing nothing, it's the stress of waiting for that call. It is also really common, as someone with multiple health conditions I'm in this situation at some point most weeks. Add in that housing, benefits, social services and schools all have the same attitude, and it becomes a major issue. Sometimes they call or even visit without notice as well, not through any kind of trying to catch me out, just because it's when was convenient to them.

How can it be acceptable to expect me to discuss my toilet habits, mental health, parenting, etc on the phone, without warning, when I'm often in public or at work when they call? If I refuse then they don't give me the small amount of help that I rely on to survive.

I know services are stretched. Personal lives are also stretched, particularly for disabled people and working class people. I'm working 5 jobs, studying full time, trying to parent, trying to have some kind of self care as well. Even some kind of acknowledgement of how bad this is would be a start!

I asked my housing association for help getting a ramp fitted. I heard nothing for weeks, when i chased it the worker said "oh i knocked on your door last Tuesday afternoon and you didn't answer so I presumed you no longer wanted help".... I was at work! She was clearly not sitting in her house on the off chance someone might turn up with no appointment so why did she assume I would be? Oh yeah, I'm disabled.

It is infuriating.

For recruitment managers, how many people tend to get into the interviews for a band 6 role? I’ve recently interviewed for one in London and I’m gauging the competition while I wait for my result

Hi all,

I’m relatively new in the UK and had some unideal encounters with NHS.

I personally cannot understand how a country this powerful and rich can have a healthcare system like this but I can be missing a lot of points.

But what I want to understand is, I keep hearing it was perfect ‘exactly’ around 15 years ago.

I know 15 years is not short but also not like 30-40 years. What happened?

I had an mri 2 weeks ago through outpatients, requested as a result of an a and e trip, and i am yet to hear anything back. i was told id recieve my results, and next steps withing 1-2 weeka. Its to help aid an ongoing investigation for fnd, any help in what steps to take would be great