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"Delay in care for teenager with scoliosis"

About: Royal Orthopaedic Hospital / Trauma and orthopaedics South East Essex PCT Spire Wellesley Hospital

(as a relative),

My 18, now 19, year old daughter went to the doctor with back pain at the beginning of the 2008 year. A locum immediately referred her to the Wellesley private hospital for MRi scans, as he noted she had scoliosis.

This was at great expense to the NHS. However, her doctor then "forgot" to refer her to the Royal orthapaedic! Several months later, we made enquiries and eventually she got an appointment, then another lot of MRI scans. During these 8-9 months, her spine curvature has degenerated badly so that she now needs two 4 hour operations. We are still waiting and have been told February.

From our experience, it seems the Royal orthapaedic is under funded and over worked.

WHY? Many teenagers have this condition, curvature of the spine.

Why isn’t scanning (a simple touch your toes, whilst a doctor looks at their back) done as a routine check, like it is in other countries? Now my daughter has to face life with a metal rod in her back. I’m angry, upset and disgusted at the lack of funding.

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