"I still do not have a date for an operation"

About 5 years ago I went to my GP because of a painful foot, I thought I had broken a bone. X-rays showed that I actually had arthritis, I received 6 weeks of physiotherapy and orthotics for my shoes to correct the alignment of the foot as this was off kilter as I walked incorrectly to compensate for the arthritis pain.

2years ago I went back to my GP as the orthotics no longer seemed to help manage the pain and 18 months ago I had an appointment with an orthopedic consultant who, in October, agreed that I needed an operation.

I have since had a CT scan and in February had an injection under x-ray conditions to identify exactly which bones were affected.

In January I received a letter of apology from the Hospital stating that it had come to their notice that there had been unacceptable delay in my operation and they would be conducting a full investigation to ensure such delays did not occur again. I think this is just soft soap to satisfy their targets – I still do not have a date for an operation.

I had a letter to see a podiatrist yesterday at Hairmyres Hospital – 20 miles from where I live – only to be told that I had been misinformed and my appointment was actually at my local health centre. On my way back to the health centre I received a call from the hospital to say they were sorry but there was no appointment at all!

I spent the afternoon making several phone calls to find out what was going on and now have an appointment to see the head podiatrist and a consultant in a couple of weeks. Will the date for my operation be fixed then? I know that it will take a 4 month recovery period so I do need to know when it will be so that I can plan accordingly.