SPECIAL REPORT: Knee and hip op restrictions labelled "ridiculous"

One veteran politician who benefitted from two hip replacements says she is "horrified" by the restrictions, urging health chiefs to reconsider.

It comes as:

- A Worcester-based campaigner who survived cancer has hit out at the policy, saying she fears other areas of the country will "copy Worcestershire"

- One part of the changes, based on a scoring system, is under 'national review' and has been delayed

- Health bosses were told to examine their budgets to see if the £1.7 million of expected savings from it could be found elsewhere

As the Worcester News first revealed in January, all three clinical commissioning groups in Worcestershire are trying to money by slashing the number of people eligible for hip and knee replacements.

They plan to treat only the most severe cases where pain interferes with people's daily life or sleep patterns, saying it will lead to 350 fewer operations per year.

Worcestershire County Council's health overview and scrutiny committee, a watchdog-style panel, has now met to debate the changes.

They were told one criteria was that patients with a BMI (Body Mass Index) above 35 need to have lost 10 per cent of weight in order to qualify.

A second criteria, known as the Oxford scoring system, is also due to be tightened up but has been delayed pending a national review.

Lib Dem Councillor Fran Oborski, speaking during the meeting, said: "Frankly, I am horrified.

"What worries me is the weight loss - if you've got acute osteoporosis you are in a huge amount of pain, there's no way you can go to the gym.

"I had my first operation at 60 and my second at 64, both my hips were replaced and if it's done in good time it does give you improved quality of life.

"For someone who was lucky enough to have two hip replacements because I was lucky enough to pay into a private medical scheme, it really does worry me.

"It really frightens me, particularly when we see what the NHS is spending money on which isn't as serious."

Councillor Alan Amos, the committee chairman, said: "If someone had a heart condition it'd be assessed and treated, but with this it seems we're putting the onus on patients to say how much pain they are in.

"That bothers me - how do you measure pain?"

NHS bosses present at the meeting told councillors one hip replacement op would pay for 200 sessions of physio, calling "less intrusive" and "less dangerous".

Dr Anthony Kelly, chair of South Worcestershire's clinical commissioning group (CCG), said: "We see surgery as a last resort and are very keen to ensure patients explore another avenues of treatment first.

"We acknowledge we've got limited resources and feel this is an effective protocol.

"We need to prioritise people so the most needy are seen first."

The committee was also told how the three CCGs need to save a combined £36 million in 2017/18.

Bosses want to change the Oxford scoring threshold, so patients who score 25 or below are routinely considered for surgerty, down from the current score of 30.

But that part of the policy is being reviewed at both a regional and national level because of inconsistencies in how some CCGs apply it, so it has been delayed for the time being.

CANCER SURVIVOR CALLS POLICY “RIDICULOUS”

CANCER survivor Barbara Moss is among those fearing the worst under the tighter new restrictions - which may leave her facing a race against time.

The mum-of-two, aged 62, has virtually no cartilage on her left knee and very little on her right, and is only getting by with regular doses of pain-killing cortisone objections.

She suffers severe pain walking almost any distance with even her own doctor surprised at how long she has been able to delay her operation for.

Mrs Moss, of Worcester, says she has chosen to push back an operation for "as long as possible", bearing in mind the life-lasting restrictions it will leave her with.

Now she says she is panicking over whether to try and rush for an operation now, or carry on with injections knowing there could be consequences.

She has called the policy "shameful" and made a formal complaint to health bosses in writing, saying she is "horrified" by it.

"I've been on injections for three years and the longer I can keep going without an operation, I will," she said.

"But the policy is ridiculous, if I decide I needed an operation I don't want to have to wait for it, I'd need it when I ask for it.

"I'm very unhappy Worcestershire seems to be leading the way on this."

Mrs Moss was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2006 and given three months to live, but paid for a drug unavailable on the NHS which she believes saved her life.

The Royal College of Surgeons has also severely criticised the hip and knee replacement policy, saying it has "no clinical justification".