"Cancellation of operation"

I am living with a number of health conditions, including osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, and have been affected by pain in my right knee and left hip for some years. Over the last 18 months the pain has increased and has become unbearable in the last few months. I often cannot sleep at night due to the pain I experience. I contacted by GP about these issues and was referred to see a consultant at the Golden Jubilee Hospital. After a couple of appointments and scans, I opted for exploratory surgery to resolve an issue with my right knee, rather than for surgery on my left hip, and was given a date for surgery of early March.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, I was told on 2 days prior that my surgery was cancelled.

At the end of June I contacted my GP as the medication I am taking was no longer giving pain relief. I was offered morphine but declined this as I am worried about taking this medication as I am the main carer for my husband who is visually impaired. My GP contacted the Golden Jubilee that day to ascertain when the surgical list was recommencing. On that day I was contacted by someone from the Golden Jubilee, who was making up a surgical list for the consultant and I was given a date in early July for my pre-op assessment, with day surgery two days later.

I received letters informing me of both pre-op assessment and surgery dates and times. But, on the afternoon of that day, I received a phone call from someone cancelling these appointments. I was given no reason for the cancellation but the staff member apologised profusely. I was of course bitterly disappointed at this news.

To make matters worse, I was then contact by staff from the Golden Jubilee asking what medication on as I was I was due for surgery, and again a day later by another staff member to ask if I had COVID-19 symptoms, as they needed me to be free of symptoms to carry out surgery. I had to explain on both occasions that my surgery has been cancelled as neither staff member was aware of the cancellation.

I phoned my GP a few days later informing them of the cancellation and asking if there was any stronger pain medication, apart from morphine, to which the answer was no. My GP contacted the Golden Jubilee on that day to find out the reason for the cancellation. They were told the reason for the cancellation was due to the surgical list for that day being lost. My GP asked the Golden Jubilee to contact me to get update on waiting times for surgery but I received no phone call.

As I had still received no update, I called the Golden Jubilee on the appointment line number my GP provided and I spoke to a member of staff. When I mentioned that my GP said the surgery was cancelled due to the list being lost, they said that this wasn’t the case and that things can change. Again no real explanation for the cancellation was provided. (As an aside, I find it hard to understand that my GP would have provided me with wrong information or that they would have misunderstood someone). They said they would look into potential waiting time for surgery, as I was clearly on the list, and that he would get back to give me an update. As of today, no-one from the Golden Jubilee has gotten back in touch with me.

I understand that there are difficulties caused by COVID-19 but the pain I am experiencing from my knee is severe and I don’t want to opt for taking morphine as a means of pain control. The issue with my right knee is also increasing problems with my left hip, which the consultant had identified as an issue and which I was given the option for surgery on. Since March I now regularly feel as if my left hip is going to give way, which wasn’t happening before. I believe that the pain in my right knee as causing my walking gait to change and I am concerned that this is increasing the damage to my left hip and will bring forward the date when I will need to go on a waiting list for hip surgery.

I don’t think it is unreasonable for me to ask for a rough estimate of when I am expected to be given a date for surgery or how long the waiting time is expected to be. I have been promised that someone from the Golden Jubilee will get back in touch with me to discuss this on two separate occasions but no-one has done so. I understand that there will be reduced capacity at the Jubilee due to COVID-19 precautions, as well as 4 months of extra patients requiring surgery, but as I was nearly at the top of the list on March I would hope that I wouldn’t have to wait too long until I was given a date for surgery.