Patient's sit-in protest at Wigan hospital after hip op cancelled again

Paula Butterworth, who has been housebound and in agony since January, said she was “going nowhere” after the latest set-back in a four-year quest to be comfortable and mobile again.

But eventually she had to go home and now must wait another three weeks before the hoped-for operation.

The 60-year-old retired nurse from Saddleworth had been self-isolating with husband Steven for two weeks and been to Wigan for a Covid test in preparation for Monday morning’s procedure at the internationally-acclaimed centre of excellence for joint surgery.

But while the two consultants and complex equipment required for the operation were ready to go and a theatre had been booked, she was told on arrival that it couldn’t go ahead because she had not had an electro-cardiogram to check her pacemaker.

This is something, she says, which should have been sorted by the pre-op assessment clinic in consultation with the anaesthetist in advance but because it wasn’t and “a box went unticked” the whole thing was called off until November 22.

For an angry and despairing Mrs Butterworth, who had encountered something similar before a previous op at Wrightington three years ago, this was the final straw.

She set up camp in the orthopaedic assessment unit and told still that they would have to forcibily remove her if they wanted her to leave.

Eventually she was persuaded that the surgery would not be taking place. But before she went home, she insisted that the ECG test take place so she didn’t have to come back to Wigan for that too.

She also insisted on a taxi taking her home rather than Steven having to come back for her.

Mrs Butterworth said: “I am in agony and have been unable to walk for a year. This is so cruel. There is no good reason why the operation couldn’t have gone ahead if everyone had done their jobs properly.

“It’s a simple box-ticking exercise that has gone wrong again: it wastes everyone’s time and leaves me in a huge amount of pain.

“It is a three and a half-hour round trip to Wrightington from where I live, yet after another journey, it’s back to square one.”

Mrs Butterworth first had hip problems four years ago - it would lead to her reluctant early retirement - and at first she had an operation with another hospital trust.

She says the aftercare for that procedure was not carried out properly and she ended up with the bone around her metal on metal joint rotting.

She was then due a new procedure at Wrightington but after two months of preparation it was cancelled on the day and she had to come back three weeks later for the surgery to be completed.

Mrs Butterworth is philosophical about the need for another operation now - she has a non-cancerous growth around the joint which needs removing plus an exploratory procedure to find out what else can be done - but is angry that a lack of communication has prevented the surgery from taking place.

She added: “My husband and I will now have to spend another two weeks isolating. My parents are deeply distressed because they will have to go through all of this worry again and Steven will be unable to run errands for them again. Not only is this a major operation which has been cancelled, but the cancellation impacts on other people. I am absolutely wiped out.

“What is the point of having some of the best surgeons in the country when they can’t get their patients in the operating theatre?

“I am not rolling over like a nice girl. This is the second time this has happened to me at this hospital. People need to be aware and the only way they will change is by knowing that some of us will take things as far as they can.”

A spokesperson for Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are extremely sorry for the experience this patient had and we recognise how difficult this situation has been under the circumstances. We have since arranged an alternative date at the earliest possible opportunity.

“Postponing any surgery is a decision that is not taken lightly and we are undertaking a rapid review of our processes in relation to this, from which we will take any key learnings to make sure we improve care for our patients.”

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