Eastbourne woman with arthritis had to wait months for delayed operation

New research from UK charity Arthritis Action suggested 23 per cent of the 10 million people living with arthritis in the UK have had their operations cancelled or postponed with 35 per cent not being told how long they have to wait.

Pam Hart, a member of Arthritis Action from Eastbourne who lives with osteoarthritis, said, “I had a knee arthroscopy booked for March 2020 which was cancelled two days before.

“I eventually had the operation in August, five months later than originally planned, but the condition of my knee definitely worsened and became more painful while I was waiting over the summer. Because of the delay to taking action my recovery is now very slow and the pain in my knee is still evident.”

More than 10 million people have arthritis in the UK, making it one of the leading causes of pain and disability nationwide.

According to Arthritis Action, of those who have had their surgeries delayed or cancelled, 70 per cent are experiencing worse pain than previously, while more than half have noted increased mental health symptoms.

Dr Wendy Holden, consultant rheumatologist and medical advisor for Arthritis Action, said, “Elective orthopaedic surgery was almost entirely non-existent for several months during the first lockdown period. Unfortunately there are now patients who have severe pain and mobility issues who can already expect to wait a year or even more for their surgery, sentencing them to another year of sometimes intolerable pain and disability.

“In that time, they will lose fitness to help them cope after surgery, may well gain weight and will need additional GP and hospital appointments to help with pain management and medication prescriptions.

“Patients of working age may lose further time from work. With the latest lockdown announced and Covid-19 admissions rising exponentially again we are seeing further suspension and cancellations of operations as the NHS responds to the ongoing challenging winter, creating more misery for those with arthritis.”