WAITING LIST: Inverness mum who is living with "unbearable" pain says there are no words to explain impact of cancelled operations at NHS Highland
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A mum-of-four says that there are 'no words' to explain the impact of cancelled operations at NHS Highland.
Angela Gibbs (51), whose youngest daughter is nine years old, said that her operation was cancelled the night before surgery was due to take place.
NHS Highland has "paused" all elective surgery until August 30, after pressures on the service due to rising numbers of Covid patients.
Living with pain – Mrs Gibbs describes as "unbearable", she wants to know when she will receive her operation.
Mrs Gibbs, from Hilton, said: "There are no words to describe the impact on so so many lives.
"I had my hip replacement cancelled the evening before I was due to have my replacement.
"Everything was organised, my husband had taken three weeks off work to support me. I had been isolating ahead of the operation.
"I had had my pre-op and I was getting ready to stay in the hospital, when I was contacted the night before I was due to go into surgery and told my operation was not going ahead.
"I was devastated, but as the hospital asked me to continue self isolating, I thought it would not be long.
"However I was wrong, I am still waiting. I eventually phoned the hospital to be told I could stop self isolating."
She continued: "Long term chronic pain effects your mental health, and the people around you. "I’m a 51-year-old woman with a nine-year-old daughter.
"I am struggling through since I was 46.
"I love the mountains and walking. I don’t drive so getting out can be difficult.
"I took up cycling to help keep me fit. I’m so tired now and actually at the point of giving up. "The impact on my health and mental health is tremendous.
"I’m not a quitter, but it’s getting beyond a joke. "Yes, there are far more people off in worse situations, I fully understand that. But this is my life and I’m just existing."
A statement from NHS Highland said that all elective operations – not emergency care – were cancelled until the end of August.
A spokeswoman for the health board said: "NHS Highland’s clinical emergency pathways have been under significant pressure across primary and secondary care.
"As a result of these pressures we are struggling to keep pace all the services we are currently aiming to deliver to as a part of the remobilisation of planned elective care.
Katherine Sutton, Chief Officer for Acute Services, said: “Within acute services we have had to act to relieve some of this pressure, both immediately and with rapid but sustainable measures to improve the situation.
“Our immediate action must focus on the safety of the patients in the hospital and has therefore led to a pause in elective activity including orthopaedic patients who require an inpatient bed as part of their care."
Mrs Sutton continued: “This is a very difficult decision which has not been taken lightly. We know it will be extremely disappointing to patients who have been waiting too long for their orthopaedic operations, often in pain, and to our colleagues in orthopaedics who are determined to help their patients.
“We plan to reinstate orthopaedic operating from the 30 August. "
MSP Edward Mountain, Highlands and Islands, said he was very concerned about the cancelation of operations.
He said: "This gives me grave concern because I know there around 2400 people waiting for operations.
"It means all the people who are waiting for operations will have to wait for even longer.
"The pain that people are going through is phenomenal."
