"Ongoing appointments and waiting times"

I initially seen the orthopaedic doctor in August 2023 for a consultation and I had x-rays done of my injured ankle. 

I then had to wait until February 2025 to see them again for steroid injections for constant pain.

I have now had to wait more than 5 months to be seen after injections in my ankle. I had a follow-up phone call (not a face-to-face ) from a nurse 12 weeks after the injections to find out how they went. During this call I explained that the pain was still constantly there, so the nurse said they had to speak to the doctor (surely it would have better if I had an appointment with the doctor at the hospital instead of a phone call) as it turns out they came back to me and said I need to see the doctor. 

So more waiting when this could have been done instead of a useless phone call…. 

Now after 5 months of waiting and eventually seeing the doctor for the follow up.

I had to wait an hour over my appointment time with no apology  from the doctor for the delay.

For someone that struggles being in or around a hospital due to other mental health issues (PTSD), it was not ideal.

The doctor then decided they wanted to give me another injection (which is fine, as I will try anything to help with this pain), but again I need to wait another 8 - 12 weeks for that appointment to happen. Why can’t they have just done the injection on the day I seen I them? I asked this question, but their response was pretty poor to be honest - it’s just the way things are done.

The frustration of constantly waiting and being in constant pain is impacting my mental health which is already impacted with my PTSD. 

I feel it’s a disgrace that someone in need of help has to keep waiting for months at a time with no treatment in between. 

When is this waiting , waiting , waiting to see someone and get properly treated in a manageable time frame going to be sorted out? 

Sadly my thoughts and from my experiences this going to get worse 

It’s not good enough Forth Valley Royal, get your act together and start helping people properly.