Care Opinion

Text size

Theme

Language

Videos in BSL or ISL
Help with language translation
Help with reading or listening

Awaiting surgery for ruptured patella tendon

Posted By LEN 1978!

"Awaiting surgery for ruptured patella tendon"

About: Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (Wonford) / Trauma and orthopaedics

(as the patient),

Following an appointment which was brought forward two hours, we were told after waiting 7 hours without food (because of planned surgery) that my op would be postponed until the following week.

From research gathered from doctors and online with my particular surgery it’s important to have it done within 2 weeks to avoid complications that potentially would affect my future mobility and quality of life.

Added to this my elderly father who has his own health problems had to drive me up to the hospital in the morning to make sure I was there for 9 and experienced significant stress from trying to get to the hospital on time because of roadworks which doesn’t help his condition.

Although I know delays do happen with treatment due to other cases on the day I feel this was extremely bad planning and me and my family feel let down by the NHS. All as I can say is I hope they see me at the new planned time as it will need urgent attention due to the complexities of the surgery, and the healing time is 3 months minimum and up to a year to fully recover back to health. The accident happened in mid May.

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Julia King, Clinical Nurse Manager, Fracture clinic and PEOC OPD, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last month
Julia King
Clinical Nurse Manager, Fracture clinic and PEOC OPD,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

I am responsible for monitoring overall service delivery, and the day to day running of both departments. I work closely with the Orthopaedic Consultants, Radiologists, Therapists, Trauma Nurse Practitioners, Orthopaedic Practitioners and Nursing staff to ensure cohesive care is delivered. I am very fortunate to have a dedicated team of staff, who work extremely hard to ensure patient safety is maintained, and that clinics run as smoothly as possible.

Submitted on 30/05/2025 at 15:27
Published on Care Opinion at 15:27

Dear LEN 1978!

I am so very sorry to hear that you have experienced this disappointment in relation to your Knee surgery being postponed.

As an Orthopaedic service we will only postpone surgery secondary to extreme unforeseen circumstances, where it would be unsafe to try and proceed given the immediate situation.

Unfortunately the above occurs suddenly, and will impact scheduled patients on the operating list. This not something that can be planned for, and postponing/cancelling surgery is always the last resort, but is sometimes necessary.

I appreciate that this is still an incredibly frustrating situation for you, and that it has a wider impact on family members who have taken time out to bring you into Hospital etc. In addition it can exacerbate stress levels and concerns relating to your own injury, and the overall recovery time that you may experience.

I would imagine that a representative from the Orthopaedic admission ward and/ the Knee team will be in touch to comment on your feedback.

I sincerely hope that you do not experience any further problems, and that your surgery goes ahead as planned next week.

Kind regards,

Julia King

Clinical Nurse Manager

Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Outpatient department & Fracture clinic.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k