"Terrible consultation"

When I was 11, in 1966, I suffered with a severe abscess of the hip that was removed at Ashford (Middx.) Hospital.

I have, over the past few years suffered a degradation in performance and condition of the hip. In October 2008, I attended an Outpatients clinic at St. Peters orthopaedics dept. Sitting in the waiting room was appalling. It was crowded with about 100 people, many coughing their germs about the place, and I felt like I was in a cattle market. Forty five minutes after my appointment time I was called in, and entered into discussion with the surgeon regarding the fitting of an artificial hip. The surgeon suggested it would be advantageous to have one fitted. I then asked what would happen if the infection returned. "We'll amputate the leg," was his simple reply. I said I'll carry on as I am then, and left.

I was never advised of the short life expectancy of artificial hips, never given a blood test, never given a bone scan, all the things that were provided by a second alternative consultation at West Middlesex Hospital, who treated my situation with a far superior quality of caution, compared to what I feel was the dangerously cavalier approach of St. Peters.

I would never, ever go back to St. Peters.