SLIDE 32 DRAFT WORK IN PROGRESS
32
Mary’s story
What happens now
Mary, 73, lives alone. Severe hip pain means she struggles to climb the stairs and get in and
- ut of the bath. Her GP refers
Mary to an orthopaedic surgeon.
- Mary sees a doctor at the hospital who
decides she needs a hip operation
- A few weeks later, Mary gets a letter
with the date for her operation in two months time
- Mary’s operation is cancelled the day
before because of an increased number
- f emergency patients, which means
there is no bed available for her
- Mary is anxious and in pain. She had
prepared herself for the operation and arranged for her son who lives far away to care for her.
- Mary’s operation takes place 6 weeks
- later. She is cared for on ward with a
mixture of medical and surgical patients
- As Mary’s operation was a Friday, she
does not benefit from full mobilisation programme because of insufficient cover over the weekend. As a result, Mary stays in hospital longer.