Woman waiting months for hip op over ward delays

Sue Smith had a stroke in December and then fell over in hospital and broke her hip, her son said

An 80-year-old woman has been waiting more than six months for a hip operation due to issues on a hospital ward, her son says.

Matthew Anthony said his mother, Sue Smith, from Westbury near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, broke her hip in hospital after being taken there for treatment for a stroke.

She was told she had to wait three months after her stroke for the hip replacement surgery but continued to wait, he said.

The hospital trust apologised for the delay which was due to "estates issues" on the ward and said it hoped to resume orthopaedic surgery in the summer.

Mrs Smith had the stroke on Christmas Eve and was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital for treatment but it was while there she fell and broke her hip.

Mr Anthony said while she waited, his mother was in a nursing home and he worried her health and independence would be affected by the stay.

“It is frustrating for her but there is also a lack of dignity,” he said.

“You’re having to rely on other people to help you go to the toilet, to eat, to wash and to dress.

“It’s an infringement on her liberty as well because she doesn’t want to be there, she doesn’t want to be incurring costs, she just wants to be at home and do things she used to do.”

Matthew Anthony said the issue had undermined his faith in the NHS

There is also a burden on the family, he said, and the situation made him question the reliability of the health service.

“It’s really stressed my faith in the NHS,” he said.

“You think there might be a safety net for you in these circumstances but there actually isn’t.

“You can easily find yourself in this type of situation, it’s actually undermined my faith in the ability of the NHS to look after you when you need it most.

Sara Biffen, acting chief operating officer at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said elective orthopaedic surgery at the Princess Royal Hospital was "paused due to estates issues on the recovery ward".

She said the trust was committed to resuming surgery in the summer.

Ms Biffen apologised for patients "facing long waits" and said they and other organisations were "doing all that they can" to restart the service at the hospital.