Patients waiting in unnecessary pain
A recent survey has revealed that a large number of people with
hip or knee pain wait for over eight years before seeking the
advice of a doctor. This is despite relatively short waiting times
and a wide range of options for treatment.
Khalid Drabu, Orthopaedic Surgeon at North Downs Hospital in
Caterham, said: “Regular joint pain, such as in the hips and knees,
should be checked out as soon as possible, to see what can be done
to stop joint health deteriorating. Many people are members of
private medical insurance schemes, so could be referred for
treatment in a clean, modern private hospital in a matter of weeks.
Recovering from a knee operation, for example, could take only a
few months, so the sooner you tell your doctor about your pain, the
sooner you could get your quality of life back.
Karen Badger, General Manager at North Downs, an independent
hospital in Caterham, says: “For those without private medical
insurance, the cost of private treatment could be cheaper than you
think, with a number of fixed cost care packages available.”
She continues: “For patients who don’t want to ‘go private’, the
waiting times for NHS treatment are now much shorter than the long,
painful waits of the past. Government policy means that NHS
patients should wait for treatment for a maximum of 18 weeks - just
over four months. Furthermore, thanks to the Government’s Patient
Choice initiative, patients can even ask their GP to refer them for
NHS treatment in a ‘private’ hospital. Although they will typically
wait for treatment for much longer than a private patient, they
will still be able to benefit from Consultant-delivered care in a
clean, private facility.”
The survey, which was recently published by The Hip and Knee
Network, was carried out on respondents who had previously been
diagnosed with hip or knee problems. The survey also revealed that
most patients still consider the reputation of their surgeon as the
most important factor.
Karen Badger continues: “Another key benefit of private
treatment is that patients have free choice over the Consultant who
will perform their operation, although even as an NHS patient at a
Ramsay hospital you can guarantee that your treatment will be
delivered by a specialist Consultant who is highly regarded in
their field.”
The survey also found that patients are generally optimistic
about the expected outcome of their hip or knee replacement
surgery, reflecting the high quality of such treatments in both the
NHS and in private hospitals.
Around 160,000 hip and knee replacements are performed each year
in the UK and the figures are rising – while the average age of
patients receiving hip and knee replacement surgery is
reducing.
For the full survey results see:
www.hipandkneenetwork.co.uk/pages/news/hip-and-knee-survey-2009.