Laurence's story: Waiting for an orthopaedic appointment

Laurence Doyle, 59, from Barry, was diagnosed with early signs of arthritis in his hip last year. When painkillers and pain management failed to help he was eventually referred to orthopaedics and is currently on the waiting list. 

No information with arthritis diagnosis

Around two years ago I started getting pain in my hip going up and down stairs but ignored it. The pain went down into my leg and, having had knee injuries from playing football in my youth, I did wonder if it was related to that.

Then, in November 2024, I moved into a top floor flat in Barry Docks, there was no lift and the 55 steps up and down were a real issue so I contacted my GP. It took a few weeks just to get an appointment and then the GP was pretty dismissive but agreed to send me for an x-ray.

When I called for the results the receptionist told me I had arthritis and that I’d need to book another appointment to see a GP which was another two or three weeks.

When I saw the doctor I explained I was in pain every day and she prescribed Co-codamol and naproxen and also said she would refer me to an Escape Pain course which I had to do before they’d consider referring me to orthopaedics.

Months later I went back for a repeat prescription and said I’d heard nothing about the course so she referred me. It was a weekly gentle exercise class for eight weeks, led by a physiotherapy assistant. It didn’t really help the pain but it was good to meet other people with similar conditions, many of them waiting for surgery or treatment.

Arthritis impacts all aspects of my life

This March I saw a different GP who told me they couldn’t prescribe pain killers anymore and offered no alternatives but did agree to an orthopaedics referral when I asked. A few weeks later I got a letter to say I was on the waiting list but I’ve no idea how long that will be. This July I received another letter which I hoped was an appointment date, but it just said that if I wanted to say on the list I had to send back a form. It feels like a test, if you go to the effort they will keep you on the list.

I suspect I’m going to need a hip replacement so I looked at the private route which, at £15,000, I can’t afford. It’s £5,500 in Lithuania but I worry about after care and complications. I also worry that orthopaedics will say my hip isn’t severe enough for replacement even though I’m in constant pain and it really affects my life.

I limp all the time now and, though I live five minutes from the seafront, I’ve only been down there for a walk four or five times because I know it’s going to be so painful. I love my home and don’t want to give it up because I can’t climb the stairs, I have to be careful how much shopping I buy because I need one hand free for the banister to get back to the flat. Just getting in and out of the car is painful, I have to sit on the seat and literally lift my leg in and out.

I work in mental health, as a full time clinical nurse managing a team, so I’m mostly in the office which is lucky because I couldn’t be on my feet on the wards like I used to. And I can no longer plan holidays, particularly trips abroad, because I wouldn’t be able to manage a flight.

Facing an uncertain wait for an orthopaedic appointment

I have a history of depression and I’ve been fine with medication but arthritis has really impacted my mental health. I did tell that second GP, who spent less than five minutes with me, that the pain and not being able to do things was really getting me down, there’s also that anxiety about the future and the uncertainty of waiting to see someone is very hard.

I’d actually gone to that first GP to discuss two issues but she told me I had to pick one. It was only when she learned I worked in a hospital that she asked about the second issue and I wonder if she would have done that if I didn’t work in the NHS. I was a bit disappointed with the attitude of the GPs generally, they were all process and did not have a deal of empathy. They also failed to give me any information about arthritis, everything I’ve found out has come from the Arthritis UK website.

In terms of waiting lists, I’ve worked in the NHS for almost 41 years so I understand the pressures, the budget restraints, because there’s cutbacks all the time. I don’t know if pumping money in would make the difference, extending theatre lists so people can have procedures on weekends or evenings would help. I don’t know what the answer is because there are too many patients and not enough resources.