Wait 3 years for your hip op, patients told

SCOTS are being forced to endure up to three years of agony as the NHS struggles to tackle a massive backlog of operations for new hips and knees.

An investigation by The Scottish Mail on Sunday has found around 18,500 people are waiting for the life-changing surgery, with some patients not expected to be treated until 2025.

Some health boards admit even patients classed as ‘urgent’, where mobility is greatly impaired and pain from arthritic joints can be excruciating, could take more than a year to reach theatres.

Almost a fifth of people waiting described such a high level of discomfort and disability that an international scoring system ranks their suffering as greater than some conditions that resulted in death.

Freedom of information requests submitted to all 14 of Scotland’s health boards show 18,461 patients are on the waiting list for replacement hips and knees.

Health board bosses in Ayrshire and Arran said it would take around ‘two to three years’ to clear their backlog. Many other health boards reported similar time frames, even if no additional patients are referred for treatment.

Much of the problem has been caused by the pandemic, which has clogged up the health service. Statistics show 770,000 people in Scotland – around one in seven of the population – are on an NHS waiting list, an increase of 225,000 compared to before Covid struck.

Last night opposition politicians accused the SNP-led Scottish Government of failing to deal with the crisis.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘It is unacceptable that the suffering of thousands of patients is being prolonged due to SNP mismanagement of the NHS.

‘The waiting lists for hip and knee replacement operations are shocking but, sadly, not surprising.

‘On top of the additional suffering, for many patients increased waiting times will impact the effectiveness of surgery when they are finally seen.

‘In certain cases the delays will even result in avoidable deaths.

‘Long waiting lists are the product of poor workforce planning by the SNP which has created huge staff shortages across the NHS.’

The Scottish Government said it is setting up a network of specialist centres to try to speed up treatment for orthopaedic patients.

A spokesman said: ‘We are investing over £400 million in a network of new treatment centres which will add extra capacity for hip and knee replacements across Scotland.’

‘Suffering of thousands is being prolonged’