Renton NHS worker's three-year wait for knee surgery raised at Holyrood

The shocking case of a Renton NHS worker who has waited more than three years for a knee replacement was raised at Holyrood last week.Labour’s Jackie Baillie raised the case of the 52-year-old, who she says suffers excruciating pain during ten-hour shifts in theatres at Clydebank’s Golden Jubilee National Hospital.The veteran politician, Scottish Labour’s spokeswoman for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care, revealed in the chamber how the resident, who remained anonymous, has waited three years for knee replacement - despite helping patients who have been waiting less than a year to receive surgery.Jackie, who was recently made a Dame, said that the NHS worker has twice been offered pre-op assessment appointments during her three-year spell on the waiting list but has yet to have the procedure carried out.The woman now suffers bone-on-bone pain as she helps patients receiving the surgery she awaits.Jackie raised the experiences of her constituent during a debate on ending long NHS waits last week.She raised the motion, telling the chamber: “It may be a new year, but nothing has changed.”The MSP added: “Scotland saw in the new year with accident and emergency departments in utter disarray as thousands of people – the sick; the injured, those needing medical intervention – experiencing long and dangerous waits.”The politician also blasted A&E data on four hour waits and added: “The crisis in NHS and social care continues.

And the SNP’s response: nothing to see here.“In fact, it has been business as usual from the SNP and the NHS and its hardworking staff remain at breaking point.”In response, Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Health services across the UK are dealing with the long-term effects of the Covid-19