Our pain can’t wait. Fix joint replacement waiting times

Sharon_K
Sharon_K Member Posts: 460
edited 7. Feb 2023, 10:05 in News Archive

People with arthritis face an agonising wait for a joint replacement. We’re campaigning for urgent action to fix joint replacement waiting times and give vital hope and certainty to those struggling in pain.

Our new campaign, Right on Time, is calling for:

  • The Government to keep people’s NHS guarantee to treatment within 18 weeks
  • An NHS action plan to improve access to joint replacements and reduce waiting times
  • Increased accountability for the NHS to deliver joint replacements
  • The regular publication of waiting times for joint replacement surgery

We need urgent action from the Government.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/campaign-with-us/right-on-time/


Comments

  • Sharon_K
    Sharon_K Member Posts: 460

    Further news on our campaign

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gran-much-pain-nearly-ended-21578330?fbclid=IwAR2vBSLoGCoDd2Hw1rC7KfMZ4746npvwiU5GK65xWvjkui44UtDofJT5A7A


  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992

    I completed the petition and emailed my MP - Derek Thomas - as requested and had the following response:

    Dear Mike

    Thank you very much for writing to me about the Sign Versus Arthritis petition.

    I am the current chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for spondyloarthritis, a painful and progressive form of inflammatory arthritis which has gone under the radar in terms of care and treatment.

    Indeed there is a shocking statistic that there is an average delay in diagnosis of eight and a half years for those suffering from the condition so I am well aware of the importance of improving the availability of accessible and high quality services.

    There is an understanding in NHS England and Government that these services must improve as lower back and neck pain is the greatest cause of years lost to disability and also that for those needing an operation, a short wait is vitally important.

    Unfortunately, as your figures demonstrate, treatment capacity has not grown fast enough to meet patients need and number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for their operation has steadily increased.

    Looking forward, thanks to the new funding settlement for the NHS (a record £34 billion per year in additional funding), the NHS Long Term Plan commits to giving local Clinical Commissioning Groups the funds they need over the next five years to grow the amount of surgery available.

    At the same time, patients will also continue to be given a wide range of options so that they can get the quickest possible elective care, whether it be in a different part of the country or through the independent sector.

     Yours sincerely,

    Derek Thomas, MP for West Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly (St Ives)

  • Sharon_K
    Sharon_K Member Posts: 460

    Hi Mike

    thank you for sharing this with us, it's good to know that MP's are getting the message and responding

    Best Wishes

    Sharon

  • phoenixoxo
    phoenixoxo Member Posts: 625

    Nice one, Mike 👍️

    Sharon, I read the Mirror article and it mentions that Lillian struggles to use the toilet and is unable to pick things up off the floor. Would she be eligible to receive a visit from OT? I ask because I'm not familiar with OT practice in Glasgow (and surrounds).

    Best wishes,

    Phee

    PsA (psoriatic arthritis) and other things since 1990. Happy to help when I can :-)
  • Sharon_K
    Sharon_K Member Posts: 460

    Hi Phee

    I certainly hope that she would be as I am sure there is such a system available in Scotland too. Thank you for raising it

    Best Wishes

    Sharon

  • phoenixoxo
    phoenixoxo Member Posts: 625

    You're welcome, Sharon 🙂

    I think there's something similar in Scotland, because I've just remembered that my aunt's husband's dad had a review when he came out of a hospital in the Inverness area after he'd had a stroke. So fingers crossed Lilian will get the help she needs 🤞

    PsA (psoriatic arthritis) and other things since 1990. Happy to help when I can :-)
  • jax
    jax Member Posts: 8
    Hi sorry to here your knee replacement had been cancelled. My left knee ed was supposed to be done April or May this year but I got a phone call in December saying they had a cancellation for January would i be interested in taking up that slot... I jumped at it. However I thought i would be totally pain free but I had a flare up night. Although the pain wasn't as bad as previous flare ups the swelling and discomfort was there. I have been trying to get a hold of my Rhummy nuse but he hasn't got back to me yet.. Any advice would be more than welcome. Thanks jax
  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992

    My baby Sister has been told that she needs knee replacements as she is Stage 4 but she has also been told that they will not be done until she is 65 so has another 7 years to wait in abject agony and braces, as well as no option but to carry on working, albeit part time.

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