1 week Ago
A retired builder who spent his life savings on a private hip replacement after being told he would have to wait up to two years for an operation at Withybush Hospital was left "disgusted" after he was called in for the NHS surgery two weeks later. Graham Griffiths says it is ‘absolutely disgusting’ that he was contacted by the Haverfordwest hospital days after his private procedure to say that he could have the operation there within the year. The 75-year-old from Treffgarne was in terrible pain with his hip and desperately needed a hip replacement.
He had X-rays at Withybush Hospital 18 months ago and was put on the NHS waiting list for the operation. However, by the end of last year the pain had become unbearable and Mr Griffiths was having to take heavy painkillers. In November, he rang Withybush Hospital to find out where he was on the waiting list.
He was told he would still need to wait between 18 months and two years. Unable to bear the pain for that length of time, Mr Griffiths and his wife made the decision to spend £14,250 on a private hip replacement at Banc y Felin hospital. He had the operation on March 18, only to have Withybush Hospital ring him less than two weeks later to ask him to come in for a pre op for his NHS operation.
Mr Griffiths said that he couldn’t fault his GP or Banc y Felin, but was upset to be offered the operation on the NHS after being told he would have to wait an unbearably long time. “To be phoned up two weeks after the operation, that’s terrible. It is rubbing salt in the wound,” he said.
“We’ve used our savings to go private. “If they had said six months or even this year I would have waited, but they said it would be 18 months to two years. “It is disgusting the way the system is being run in Withybush.
People should be aware of what’s going on around them. It’s not right the way we’ve been treated. “It’s absolutely disgusting.
" Keith Jones, director of secondary care at Hywel Dda University Health Board said that the health board had made ‘positive progress in increasing operating capacity’ over the last year and that waiting times for orthopaedic surgery were among the lowest in Wales. “We recognise that the length of time patients wait for surgery remains too long and the distress patients often experience," he said. "We are sorry to hear about Mr Griffiths’ experience.
We will review the communication advice provided by our staff to ensure patients can make an informed choice regarding arrangements for their care. “If a patient has any concerns regarding their treatment or the information and advice provided by the Health Board, we urge them to contact our Patient Support Service for help and guidance.".
