Spine surgery delays leave man unable to lift head

A man who has waited more than a year for surgery to correct spinal fusing that has left him unable to lift his head has said "nothing takes the pain away" anymore.

Jonathan Johnson, from Seacroft in Leeds, was told he needed complex surgery to straighten his spine last November, after years of suffering with the chronic inflammatory condition ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

According to NHS data in September the waiting list for non-urgent treatments at Leeds Teaching Hospitals where patients have been waiting longer than 12 months stood at more than 3,000.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said it understood that some patients were waiting “longer than we would like” but all patients were “prioritised based on clinical need".

Mr Johnson was diagnosed with AS, a condition in which the spine and other parts of the body become inflamed, when he was 17 - but said his condition began to deteriorate last summer.

In November 2023, it was recommended he had surgery to correct his spine and he underwent a pre-operative assessment the following month - but, a year later, he is still waiting for an operation date.

"I don’t really have a life,” Mr Johnson said.

"If I do something, I have to do it in pain because I can barely move properly.

“Basically, I’m walking about looking at the floor because I can’t lift my head up,” he said.

Mr Johnson’s story was first reported by the BBC in July, but said his condition and mental health had deteriorated significantly since then.

“I go to bed in pain, I wake up in pain,” he said.

“It just feels like, what’s the point anymore."

Mr Johnson’s wife, Donna, said it was “absolutely shocking” and that she did not understand how he could be "left to struggle like he is".

Latest NHS data showed that Leeds Teaching Hospitals has been reducing the number of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks for non-urgent treatment.

In September there were just over 3,000 on the list who had been waiting longer than a year - down from around 4,000 in the same month the previous year.

Dr Magnus Harrison, chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We understand that some patients are waiting longer than we would like, and we are sorry that Mr Johnson and others like him are in pain.

"All patients awaiting surgery are carefully prioritised based on clinical need, and this is reviewed regularly.

"Our teams are working tirelessly to reduce waiting times, whilst remaining committed to ensuring that urgent and acute patients are seen as a priority and providing safe, specialist care for everyone who needs it.

"We are keeping regularly in contact with Mr Johnson and his family.”

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