Plumtree woman says surgery delays have left her in pain

A woman has criticised hospital delays after waiting for surgery on her broken hand for almost a year.

Louise Ketteringham said she has been suffering from chronic pain since breaking her scaphoid bone in her right hand in August 2021.

The 38-year-old, from Plumtree, Nottinghamshire, said she just wanted the pain to stop.

Nottingham University Hospital Trust (NUH) said Mrs Ketteringham's surgery had now been scheduled for 29 March.

The mother-of-three, who hurt her hand while playing with her children, said doctors did not operate at the time as they had initially thought the bone would heal.

However, during a consultation at the Queen's Medical Centre in April 2022, it was agreed she would need surgery.

She said she was then placed on the theatre waiting list to have a metal pin put in through bone grafting.

The former painter and decorator said since the injury she had been unable to work and carry out her usual day-to-day jobs, like caring for her disabled child, driving and cooking for her family.

Mrs Ketteringham said she was struggling to manage and her husband had been forced to reduce his work hours to help the family cope.

"My mental health has gone really, really bad," she said.

"I'm on so many medications to numb the pain, which I shouldn't be. I should have had the operation."

She said the hospital told her the delay was due to the Covid backlog and recent NHS strikes.

A spokesperson for NUH said: "We are very sorry that there is a delay to the surgery Louise Ketteringham is currently waiting for.

"Surgery was recommended in April 2022 following a programme of treatment and care which began when Louise first visited the Emergency Department in August 2021.

"Last month Louise's surgery was moved to a higher priority, so that we can minimise the time she will be waiting as much as we can.

"Our staff are working tirelessly to reduce waiting times for all patients at NUH and we have made significant progress since the pandemic."

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