Can I choose where and who I see

askingorlando

hello, I wonder if you can advise? I’ve been put on the waiting list for a hip replacement. (I am female, 62, have just asked Boots if I can buy weight loss medication as I thought it might help) The hospital thought I’d be seen around February. I’d like to get as fit as possible first. The hospital has a bit of a reputation for not being as hygiene conscious as some and the surgeon allocated has no online presence which seems odd. Is there a way to check if there may be somewhere else I could go? A list of how many complications they have had, that type of thing? If I do find somewhere am I still allowed to request a transfer? I’m nervous, I live on my own and feel I need to advocate for myself instead of burying my head! Thank you for your help, and for your brilliant website!

PJoanne

Hello @askingorlando and welcome to the forum.

You can look up all registered Doctors in the UK here. You might have to cut and paste the below into a search box.

https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/our-registers

If you are in another part of the world ,perhaps there is something similar.

Have a look at this link about preparing for surgery:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/lets-move-for-surgery-toolkit/

I'm not sure about electing to go to a different hospital or surgeon, sorry!

Best Joanne

Eeyore

Hello @askingorlando. In the UK we do, happily, have the right to choose which hospital we use for treatment. Just google Your choices in the NHS and you will find the details. It's definitely worth doing, there may well be a better hospital not too far from you! Good luck.

helpline_team

Hello @askingorlando and welcome to the Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience too.

Thank you for posting and for your question about transferring to a different hospital for your hip replacement surgery. I hope you found Joanne's and Eeyore's responses of some help. It is understandable that you want to ensure that the surgery is as successful as possible with low risk of infection and other complications. In the UK, you do have a right to ask for a second opinion and to choose where you have surgery.

Pain and reduced mobility can drag you down and no-one wants to be on a waiting list for too long. A joint replacement could really make a difference to your quality of life, take away your pain and improve your mobility.

@PJoanne has given a link to our Let's Move for Surgery Toolkit. This may help you to prepare for your surgery. As well as the right kind of exercise, eating a healthy balanced diet and trying to achieve a healthy weight is also good preparation.

NHS - My Planned Care gives helpful information for patients waiting for clinical opinion, treatment, or surgery. The National Joint Registry records, monitors, analyses and reports on performance outcomes for joint replacement surgery, surgeons and healthcare providers.

I hope the information given below will be of some help.

https://www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk/

https://www.njrcentre.org.uk/

If you would like to have more replies to your post, you are welcome to repost on our Living with Arthritis forum which is a supportive space where you can ask questions and share experiences with others. You are also welcome to call our Free Helpline if you would like to talk things through informally and in confidence on 0800 5200 520 weekdays 9am - 6pm .

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on and I'm sure others will connect with you as well.

Best wishes,

Fiona, Helpline Advisor

iwannerbeme

I think you can request a different hospital in UK. My husband had an appalling expereince at our local hospital. Its an offical complaint now. Anyway he has a new consultant and a new hospital straight away. Ive heard other people in our area say they requested a transfer to this hospital. Just ask your GP.