NHS: Growing waiting lists for surgery could cause health problems further down the line, surgeon warns

An ever-increasing waiting list for surgery could cause major problems for the NHS in the years to come.

A top surgeon has warned that the UK's health service is staring down the barrel of patients struggling with permanent bone loss, increased risk of stomach bleeding due to prolonged use of anti-inflammation drugs - and that's just for orthopedic surgeries.

It comes as junior doctors announce another round of industrial action for August, following strikes earlier this month that were dovetailed by NHS consultants.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr Sarunas Tarasevicius has warned that some of the problems caused by increased waiting times will be permanent for patients.

He said: “Untreated deforming arthrosis might trigger permanent loss of bone mass. To reconstruct bone defects, the surgeon then has to use more metal structures.

"If the surgery is not performed within the recommended window, muscle atrophy starts developing in the affected limb, and since the person wants to protect it, they put more load on the other limb, while pelvis tilting causes spine pains and deformation.

"The long-term use of anti-inflammatory medication also has side effects such as increased risk of stomach bleeding.”

Heather Wilson from Angus, Scotland, was at risk of losing a job she loved because of constant hip pains. As a guide dog trainer, the 52-year-old was constantly on the move but the pain was starting to become unbearable.

Despite this, she was not even considered for surgery in the UK, with a waiting time just for the scan being more than 12 months. As a result, she had to seek private medical treatment abroad.

My job is quite physical, and managing the pain was becoming difficult," she said.

"I was on opioid-based drugs and walking with a limp, my life was now being impacted, and I was struggling to carry out daily tasks which I was not prepared to accept."