King's Lynn man ‘left in limbo’ after cancelled surgery at hospital
A man from Lynn claims he has been “left in limbo” after two operations were cancelled at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital due to his medical notes being lost.
Leigh Walkington, 41, who works as a photographer, said not only has he been left waiting to find out if he will have the surgery, but the two cancellations have also cost him months’ worth of wages, as he had cancelled work to allow him time to recover.
He said on both occasions, he was told his operations had been cancelled as his medical notes had been lost.
Mr Walkington is in need of surgery, as he was involved in a motorcycle accident in February of last year which resulted in him having his collar bone broken.
He said he discussed this with hospital officials, who agreed to re-break his collar bone and screw it in place.
His first appointment was scheduled for December 21, but it was cancelled.
It was rescheduled for January 18 but it was once again called off because of his lost notes.
Mr Walkington said the situation has been exacerbated by the fact that, having previously worked in the military, he has had to have security clearance for his medical notes.
He has since been told that his notes have been found and that he would be contacted about his surgery, but he says he has “heard nothing from them”.
“I’m left in limbo not knowing what’s going on or what’s happened,” Mr Walkington said.
“I’m now worrying what they are going to do about my surgery.”
QEH medical director Dr Nick Lyons said: “Whilst it would be inappropriate for me to discuss an individual’s case, it is unacceptable for any patient’s operation to be cancelled for this purely administrative reason.
“However, our top priority has always to be patient safety and we also conduct comprehensive investigations into any complaint we receive.”