How back-pain grandad skipped hospital's waiting list

Warehouse supervisor Edwin Wallace had spent two years with a painful hip, which meant he could no longer enjoy games with his grandson or rambles in the woods.

“I could barely walk,” said Edwin, 62. “The pain kept me awake at night and affected almost every aspect of my life.”

He received two doses of painkilling injections at King’s Mill, and was on the waiting list for a third when he was told that such procedures at the hospital had been temporarily suspended.

That’s when he heard about the NHS Treatment Centre at Barlborough in Derbyshire, thanks to the recommendation of a friend of his daughter.

Edwin’s GP referred him to the centre, where he was assessed in an investigation that revealed he needed a new hip-joint. Within weeks, he was undergoing surgery and now, he feels like a new man.

“I do not like being in hospital, but everything at the treatment centre was wonderful,” he said. “Everyone had so much time for me, and nothing was too much trouble.

“The surgery was fantastic. I had no ill effects and I felt back to normal shortly after the operation.

“Within hours of the surgery, I was working with a physiotherapist, and I was able to leave a day later to recuperate in my own home, which I was delighted with.”

Edwin is now enjoying a summer of fun with his family, and his grandson has his football buddy back again!

Steve Booker, hospital director at the treatment centre, said: “We have some of the shortest waiting lists for orthopaedic, spinal and eye surgery in the region. As Edwin found out, there’s no reason to live in pain.”