A retired doctor from Blairgowrie has submitted FOI requests to NHS Tayside in a desperate attempt to find out the date of his hip replacement operation.
Dr Alisdair McLean suffers severe arthritis, leaving him housebound and often bedbound due to the ‘bone on bone’ pain.
He was told in 2019 that he needs a new hip and had a pre-op check in June this year.
However, the 72-year-old claims it has been impossible to get information about when his agonising wait might be over, which is causing his health to deteriorate.
“I’m now into my fourth year since my diagnosis,” says Dr McLean, a retired biochemist who worked on developing drugs for Parkinson’s.
“I’ve spoken to my GP, phoned Perth Royal Infirmary, written to health minister Humza Yousaf and submitted Freedom Of Information requests asking what waiting times are and when my operation might be.
“When patients are deliberately kept in the dark like this, their lives are on hold and even an approximate date could give that person something to work around.”
Dr McLean says he is not asking to ‘push my way to the front of the queue’.
“I simply want to know how long the pain will last and how long I have to wait,” he explains. “There is a complete lack of transparency.”
Priority list
“I’m in pain and depressed. I think I’ve suffered enough and my overall health and wellbeing has worsened considerably.
“It is not too much to ask that I be given a date for my hip operation.
“Patients can be quite grown up and understand emergencies must be prioritised and dates may slip.
“My GP looked on my file and I am on a priority list. But they couldn’t tell me the dates.”
Dr McLean lived in Finland at the time of his diagnosis, where individuals have open access to their health records.
He was seen at PRI in June for a pre-op examination and offered a cancellation appointment the next day.
However as he has a heart condition, and needs to stop taking medication for three days prior to the op, he was unable to have the operation.
He says he has not heard anything since then.
The first FOI he submitted to NHS Tayside – asking for details of his operation date, or proposed date – was rejected.
‘Personal data’
“It’s absurd. Contemptuous,” says Dr McLean. “I’m denied my right to know a date of my operation because it is ‘personal data’ being requested – ie my personal data!
“Logic dictates that if I was offered a time slot then it must be soon.
“If there’s a priority list of patients, and the average number of elective hip operations per month is known, then at least an approximate month could be calculated, based on the number of patients on the list.”
He continues: “Perhaps progress could be made if there were more medical doctors in white coats and fewer spin doctors in smart suits.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside says: “Due to patient confidentiality we are unable to comment on matters relating to individual cases. We invite Dr McLean to contact our feedback team with any concerns.”
What is the current average waiting time for a hip replacement?
The spokesperson continues: “Following the pandemic, clinical prioritisation along with the length of time on the waiting list is considered. This will be different for each patient.
“The average waiting time for hip replacements is 59 weeks.”
Are there alternatives to being treated within Tayside if the case is urgent?
NHS Tayside says: “There is a national programme to reduce waiting times. However capacity across Scotland is limited due the volume of patients waiting after the pandemic.”
What is the criteria for urgent cases for hip replacements?
“This is undertaken by clinical prioritisation and length of time since referral.”
They add: “Generally, a pre-operative assessment would be valid for six months.”
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