"Orthopaedic Department at Raigmore"

For many years my mother has been attending Raigmore Orthopaedic Dept with excellent service, but recent experience has been different.

My mother is 85years old and has significant problem with osteoarthritis in her right hip, which in the opinion of the consultant would have required a hip replacement, if she had been in better health. The agreed course of action was for treatment with steroid injections, my mother's concerns were alleviated when the consultant explained that the injections could be repeated frequently, in her case, ensuring pain was kept to a minimum. This plan appeared to be working and she duly received a steroid injection to her hip, which helped greatly to ease the pain she had been experiencing, we were reassured to see that on discharge from the hospital her letter stated that she would be recalled in 2-3 months.

This appointmentt had not appeared after 4 months and as the pain had increased we contacted the consultant's secretary who apologised that the appointment had been overlooked and arranged for a clinic appointment a week later. On attending the clinic and meeting with the consultant we were advised that my mother would receive another steroid injection which the consultant stated should be quite soon. Since then my mother remains in severe pain despite strong analgesia ( Morphine) and several phone calls to the consultant's secretary in an attempt to gain any information regarding the length of wait appear to be fruitless. The GP has also phoned and written on her behalf. The only outcome of our contact appears to have been on two separate occasions where my mother was invited to return to the clinic but each time we received these appointments we would contact the secretary to ask why we were to be seen at the clinic, only to be advised that there had, on both occasions, been a "mix up" and to disregard the appointments. This leaves the family wondering if the delay in receiving the steroid injection could be due in any way to similar confusion, which has resulted in an 85year old lady suffering ongoing severe pain, possibly unnecessarily?