Dog groomer’s anger as op cancelled twice
Woman left in pain after NHS says there were not enough beds
A woman whose operation has been suddenly cancelled for the second time in under a month has hit out at the NHS.
Claire Hobden was only told her elbow surgery on February 23 wasn’t going ahead when she phoned Tunbridge Wells Hospital to confirm arrangements.
She was told lack of beds was the reason and her consultant needed to cover trauma cases.
Mrs Hobden, 45, of Willington Street, Maidstone, needs the procedure to relieve painful tendon pressure. In January she was told a cancellation had opened up for February 1 at Maidstone Hospital. This was withdrawn the day before.
She is now booked in for March 16, in Maidstone.
A suspension of non-urgent operations until April is now in force, implemented by the cashstrapped West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group, which arranges healthcare across the area. It pledged people who urgently needed treatment would still have it.
Mrs Hobden, who runs a dog grooming business, said: “This is now getting ridiculous and I kicked off because it seems eve- rything is stopping because of lack of money. I just feel like I’m not getting proper answers and I’m now struggling to do my job properly.”
She’s been forced to decline business at her dog salon, thinking she would now be recovering from surgery. She said: “We’ve also cancelled a holiday to the Isle of Man TT races in May, as I won’t have the strength in my arm to ride a motorcycle.”
MTW says it is seeing unprecedented numbers of emergency cases, where people are needing longer hospital stays. In January the trust’s two A&E departments admitted 3,428 patients, up 17.5% from the same month the previous year. A spokesman apologised to those affected by the cancellation of elective procedures due to increased emergency demand, although the situation is now improving.
He said: “Where possible we are trying to carry out additional elective surgery lists, to ensure waiting times for patients are minimised and we are doing all that we can to keep cancellations to a minimum.”