'She cannot play with her grandchildren': Woman has three-year wait for urgent knee op

The ‘urgent’ waiting list for a consultation on a knee replacement in Cork is currently three years, with a woman “in excruciating pain” being told to expect to see a consultant in 2027.

A letter sent to the woman by South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital confirmed that she “is on the urgent inpatient waiting list for an appointment” with a consultant orthopaedic surgeon since February 2024.

The hospital advised that given the urgent outpatient waiting list is three years, she should expect to receive an appointment in February 2027.

The letter added: “The hospital is working within the resources available to them at this time and all patients are treated in chronological order based on clinical need as triaged by the consultant.

“We would like to apologise for the long wait times however we are currently experiencing very high demands on the service.”

A spokesperson for the hospital said that they cannot comment on individual cases, but shared data showing that there are just 86 patients awaiting surgery for knee replacements.

However, the current orthopaedic outpatient waiting list — which includes patient referrals that are awaiting assessment — is considerably longer with 7,674 people on it.

There are 1,621 waiting less than three months, 1,441 waiting 3-6 months; 1,082 waiting 6-9 months; 1,051 waiting 9-1 months; 796 waiting 12-15 months and 1,683 waiting more than 15 months.

Cork North Central Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould, who was in contact with the woman, told The Echo: “What we have now is a person living in constant pain being told by the HSE that they recognise that her case is urgent but that she will not be seen for three years.

“We are talking about a person in agony 24 hours a day, she struggles to get in and out of cars and cannot even walk around the supermarket. This pain is destroying her quality of life.

“She cannot play with her grandchildren or enjoy days out with her children. She is going to miss out on so much over these next three years.”

“If this is the waiting time for an urgent appointment, I would hate to see the waiting list for non-urgent orthopaedic cases. Over the next three years, this lady’s pain will likely increase and damage to her other joints could worsen, he said, adding “healthcare delayed is healthcare denied.”

Mr Gould continued: “I am so frustrated that years of neglect of the health service have led us to a situation whereby a person in constant pain is told it will be a three year wait before they are seen.”

He added that the Treatment Abroad scheme is not suitable for everyone, and “is only a sticking plaster,” saying that people deserve to be treated in hospitals near their homes where they feel comfortable and where they can receive visits from friends and family.