Original by Owen Evans, The Leader - http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/172093/80-week-wait-for-knee-replaceme…
Serious concerns have been raised about bone treatment services at one of the region’s hospitals.
Conservative AM Janet Finch-Saunders slammed the Welsh Government over delays in orthopaedic and trauma services at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan.
She said all orthapedic replacement surgery is now on hold at the hospital.
Speaking to First Minister Carwyn Jones in the Welsh Assembly on Tuesday, she said: “I hope you are as shocked as I am with the recent findings of a 5,000 per cent increase in those having gone longer than the 36 weeks’ waiting time for orthopaedic and trauma services.
“That is 3,052 patients now having gone considerably longer than that.
“I have constituents – 80 weeks requiring a knee replacement, 130 weeks for a hip replacement.”
She added: “These individuals are in constant and sickening pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week, fed up with popping several really serious painkillers.
“And then to learn yesterday that all orthopaedic replacement surgery in Ysbyty Gland Clwyd is now on hold.
“That frustrates me and my constituents even more.
“Such delays in this kind of treatment is a national scandal, and if this is an example of your Government putting a health board in special measures 18 months ago, then serious questions must be raised.
“How, under your watch, have you allowed such scandalous waiting times, and what will you do now, as First Minister, please, on behalf of my constituents, and those patients across North Wales, to investigate the matter urgently and to provide my constituents and others with the appropriate treatment they not only need, but deserve?”
The First Minister said that the majority of patients waiting in North Wales are waiting less than 26 weeks.
He added: “We do recognise that trauma and orthopaedics is a challenging area, where some of the waiting times are not acceptable.
“Extra money has been made available to Betsi Cadwaladr local health board in order to reduce waiting times.
“They are outsourcing some activity now to alternative providers, and we expect to see the situation improve markedly over the course of the next two months.”
Concerns were also raised about the health board by Plaid Cymru AM Llyr Gruffydd, who said the annual safeguarding report raised several issues.
He said: “The risk register showed 13 serious risks, including failure to comply with various pieces of safeguarding legislation, or that there was a real risk that a child or a person on the at-risk register wouldn’t be identified if they were to go to the accident and emergency department, which could lead to serious harm to that individual.
“After a year and a half in special measures, do you believe that that is acceptable?”
Mr Jones responded that the board is not yet ready to come out of special measures, but things are improving.
He added: “What’s important now is to ensure that every part of the service being delivered by the health board improves in the same manner as the cancer treatment times, for example, and waiting times for diagnostic tests.”