Patient Declines Distant Surgery Due to Health and Family Concerns
A 73-year-old woman from southern Scotland is concerned about a potentially extended wait for knee replacement surgery after she declined an offer to have the procedure performed over 160 miles (250km) from her home.
Dorothy Thomson, from Dumfries, experienced complications following surgery on her right knee. Having suffered a heart attack four years ago, she is apprehensive about the prospect of a prolonged hospital stay in Liverpool.
She expressed that the "long trek" to Liverpool was too far from her family and that she preferred to have the operation closer to home.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway explained that the surgery offered in Liverpool is part of a new partnership aimed at reducing waiting lists and providing treatment for up to 180 patients within three months.
Dorothy reached out to BBC Your Voice to share her experience and to highlight how many patients from the region are being offered hip or knee replacement surgeries outside Scotland.
She stated that the offer came as a surprise but she felt unable to undertake the more than 300-mile round trip due to her health and the distance from family support.
"I've been on the waiting list for over a year and they phoned out of the blue and said that if I wanted to go to Liverpool, it could be done within the next two months,"
"But the practicalities, I don't have anybody in the north of England - my family are further up and I'd prefer either Dumfries or the Golden Jubilee [in Clydebank]."
"Also my husband, he's not going to be able to drive down to Liverpool and back to see me."
Dorothy had her other knee operated on about nine years ago at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank, where her husband was able to stay in a nearby hotel.
She recalled,
"He could come through and see me every day - bring me clean nighties and all the wee bits and pieces that you need."
After that operation, she experienced a bad reaction to the anaesthetic, which resulted in a longer hospital stay than expected.
She noted that she was "comparatively healthy" at the time of her first knee surgery.
"I don't feel I'm as healthy now after having had a heart attack,"
This has added to her concerns about undergoing surgery far from home, influencing her decision to decline the option in England.
"If I'm down in Liverpool for five or six nights, I'm just going to feel lost down there,"
"I've been to Liverpool, I like it, but it's a long trek especially if you're not feeling great, you know.
"If anything happens to me in Liverpool, nobody's going to be able to see me."
Partnership Aims to Reduce Orthopaedic Surgery Waiting Times
NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirmed it has partnered with Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as part of a national initiative across Scotland.
The programme's objective is to increase patient access to orthopaedic treatments and reduce overall waiting times.
Launched last month, the initiative will continue until the end of April.
According to NHS Dumfries and Galloway,
"We expect to provide up to 180 procedures to patients in that time, and, as of 10 March, 150 patients have signed up."
