Man left in agony waiting years for hip replacement

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

A bed-bound Cardiff man has been waiting for years in growing agony for a hip replacement, only for his surgery to keep being pushed back.

Tony Dance from St Mellons has had osteoarthritis in his left hip for years, but his condition grew worse over time until he got to the point of needing an operation two years ago.

He had already been waiting for more than a year after receiving a GP’s referral when he was first given an operation date, which was the end of March, 2025.

Despite letters from medical professionals stating that Tony’s osteoarthritis had become significantly worse and acknowledging that he was in “severe pain”, this date was put back to July and then again to August 11.

‘Disgusted’

Tony’s wife, Donna, said: “I’m just disgusted with the whole system. They’ve totally let us down.

“My husband’s been ill for years. He’s had a million operations but he’s never kicked up a fuss, but this time it’s just unbearable to see what state he’s in.

“He’s getting neglected.”

“In the last couple of weeks, he’s become bed-bound.

“If you could hear the noise his hip makes. It doesn’t sound like it’s in the joint. It is just clunking and every time he moves he’s in absolute agony.”

Tony, 65, said: “The only thing that’ll touch it [the pain] is for me to stay in bed, rest it and even in bed the slightest movement… well, if you could hear the cracking and the crunching, it sounds like a firework display.

“I’d love to know how they grade people on a list.”

A referral letter sent by a doctor in August, 2024, asked for Tony, who is also an amputee below his right knee, to be seen urgently by a surgeon.

The letter, which mentions imaging showing the “significantly worsening” condition of Tony’s osteoarthritis, states that a GP referred him “over a year ago” and that he did not appear to be on any waiting list for an operation.

Orthopaedic surgeon

Tony was later seen by an orthopaedic surgeon in October, 2024, who later acknowledged in a letter that “any attempt at moving your left hip causes you severe pain” and that an x-ray shows he has end stage osteoarthritis.

It goes on to add: “In view of the severity of your symptoms, I have put you on my waiting list for a left hip replacement. On review of your records, you were first referred in March, 2023, and I would therefore anticipate that you will have the surgery before the end of March next year.”

Tony later found out that the surgery would not be going ahead as planned and he was switched to a new surgeon.

On travelling to University Hospital Llandough in June, 2025, to sign a consent form, he claimed he was told by a secretary that his surgery would be taking place in July.

However, the consultant informed Tony that this would not be possible as he was going away on holiday. It was after this that he was given the date of August 11.

The Dances say this is too long for Tony to wait and they continue to question why he isn’t being treated with more urgency in his current condition.

Donna said: “When you’re screaming in pain and you can’t get out of bed and you’re not functioning, that sounds like five years away to my husband, so he has just lost the will to live.”

Describing the discomfort he’s going through, Tony added: “I can literally walk no more than two or three paces now without excruciating pain.

“My poor wife and daughter, it makes them cringe because it literally sounds just like someone is ripping bones apart.

“And the pain. I can’t even begin to describe the pain.”

Surgical priority grading

Cardiff and Vale UHB said it used a surgical priority grading known as Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Level, which categorised urgency from RCS 1A to RCS 4B.

RCS 1A are emergency cases where surgery is required within 24 hours and RCS 4B means surgery can be deferred for more than six months.

In his growing pain, Tony said he’d become so desperate for surgery that he was considered making himself an emergency case.

He added: “The only way I would get this done now, and believe you me I have thought about standing on my wheelchair and throwing myself off on a concrete floor to try and break it because it’s the only way I would get it done quickly.”

The NHS 111 Wales website states under ‘general surgery’ for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board area that 10% of people are waiting 33 weeks or more for a first outpatient appointment following their referral being received by the hospital.

The average waiting time for a first outpatient appointment is 10 weeks.

It also states that the average waiting time to start treatment is 31 weeks and that 10% of people are waiting 83 weeks or more to start treatment following their referral being received by the hospital.

A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “Cardiff and Vale University Health Board uses a surgical priority grading know as RCS (Royal College of Surgeons) Level which categorises urgency from RCS 1A (emergency surgery required within 24 hours) to RCS 4B (surgery that can be deferred for more than 6 months).

“This has been in effect from 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Orthopaedic Surgeons categorise patients with a RCS Level at the date of listing for surgery based on the severity of the patient’s condition, which may be changed pending further clinical review if a patient’s condition changes.

“The Health Board reviews theatre performance of all surgical specialities against key performance indicators including cases per session, utilisation of theatre time and number of sessions cancelled, and is working towards all specialties meeting national GIRFT standards which is inclusive of Orthopaedic Hip surgery.

“To support with the reduction of waiting times, funding has been received to undertake operations within the private healthcare sector.

“Hip surgery has been included within this scheme.”

Vaughan Gething

Donna said she also approached her local Senedd Member, Vaughan Gething, for help over Tony’s long wait for an operation.

On contacting the office for help, Donna claimed she was prompted to sign a form giving Mr Gething’s office permission to investigate their case.

However, she said someone from the Senedd Member’s office later contacted the family and told them that Mr Gething would not be able to help them.

Mr Gething has since written to Donna to say that he cannot direct the allocation of surgery lists of the UHB in his role as a Member of the Senedd, but added that he could request information and reasons for the delay to Tony’s treatment.

As the operation date in August gets nearer, Donna and Tony said they could only wait in dread at the thought of surgery being pushed back again.