"My operation was cancelled"

About: Forth Valley Royal Hospital / Orthopaedics

(as a relative),

My grandfather attended forth valley for a TKR at the NTC due to the extensive waiting lists at Glasgow. He has been waiting nearly two years so he was happy he was finally getting his TKR. He was supposed to be taken today and was told to arrive at 11:30am. At 14:30pm he was told by the Dr that he was unable to do the procedure because they had no kits left and also they had no bed available for him afterwards. 

This is totally unacceptable. Surely provisions should be put in place and adequate stock should be available for patients who are elective and if not then this should be cancelled before travelling as there was plenty of time. Surely, stock issues would have been identified in the am and not when they go to do the procedure? He has also been told he will go back on the waiting list - again unacceptable. He should have been given a date and time before they discharged him.

Not only have they cancelled an operation that my grandfather has been needing and waiting so long for but the provisions that had to be put in place for this to go ahead in the first place has been a challenge.

My grandfather is the main carer for my grandmother who is unable to be left alone. I have had to take time off of work to be able to step in and care for my grandmother. I am now unsure if I will be able to get this time again when he has this rescheduled.

Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Alex Eadie, Operational Manager, Trauma & Orthopaedics, NHS Forth Valley 3 days ago
Alex Eadie
Operational Manager, Trauma & Orthopaedics,
NHS Forth Valley
Submitted on 13/03/2025 at 17:29
Published on Care Opinion at 17:29


Good afternoon,

I am sorry to read about your experience. I can only imagine the range of emotions your grandfather would have gone through to have his long awaited operation cancelled, and I appreciate all of the planning that has gone into the day for you all as a family.

If you could please get in touch and provide your grandfather's details so I can look into this further, my email is alex.eadie@nhs.scot.

Please note in order for me to look into this, I will require your grandfather's consent. Once I receive the details, I will get in touch with him to confirm his consent.

Kind regards,

Alex

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k