Latest news with #hipreplacement
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
How much it costs to skip the NHS queue and get your hip done privately
How long have you waited for a new hip? Email money@ With the NHS backlog close to eight million, desperate patients are being forced to consider shelling out for life-changing treatment themselves. Long delays have meant going private for hip operations has become a popular option for those who can afford it, or who are fortunate enough to have private medical insurance. The number of self-funded hip replacements has soared since 2019. So much so, private hospitals have overtaken NHS hospitals for the number of joint operations performed. Going private to get a new hip may be tempting, but it can also be expensive. Here, Telegraph Money talks you through how to get the best deal. How much does a hip replacement cost? The average cost of a hip replacement surgery without health insurance is £14,412, according to consumer information website myTribe Insurance. Costs range from £11,299 to £18,405 depending on the provider. But direct price comparisons can be misleading, and digging into the details is essential. Chris Steele, healthcare expert and founder of myTribe Insurance, says: 'What each hospital offers for the price will differ, with some including pre-consultations and follow-up physios and others not. 'You might think that one quote seems expensive but find that it includes more follow-up appointments, other treatments and rehabilitation. 'Some surgeons may quote the cost of replacing both hip joints, while others will start with one hip only. 'It's best to check what the quote includes first.' Picking a provider While cost is a crucial factor in deciding which provider to choose, quality of surgery and care should come top of the list. The best place to start is the Care Quality Commission website for information on hospital accreditation and ratings, including for patient safety, cleanliness and quality of care. All independent healthcare providers are also legally required to submit certain performance data to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN). Data is submitted at both hospital and consultant level and is published on PHIN's website. Mr Steele says it's important to check the qualifications and experience of the surgeons themselves: 'While each of the hospitals will have preferred surgeons and will likely employ them, they'll also have surgeons that they use on a more occasional basis, much like a contractor. 'As it's the surgeon performing the surgeries, not the hospital, I'd be looking for surgeon ratings as well as the hospital's.' With high costs in the UK, a number of people in need of hip replacements travel abroad. Clinics in Lithuania, Poland and Hungary are popular destinations. Many offer packages with aftercare and physio from between £5,000 and £9,000. Georgia is the cheapest country, offering hip replacements for under £2,500. A reciprocal post-Brexit healthcare agreement, known as 'The S2 funding route', allows patients to undergo planned treatment, such as hip operations, in an EU country or Switzerland through its state healthcare system. A patient's home state foots the bill, but you must meet strict criteria to be approved under the scheme – including a doctor confirming that your wait for treatment on the NHS would count as an 'undue delay'. However, patients have reported a gruelling S2 application process, and have told the Telegraph the process involved jumping through 'hoops of fire', only to be rejected. Paying for a hip replacement The ideal scenario is to claim the cost of a hip operation on private health insurance. Mr Steels says: 'Don't forget to call your insurer after visiting your GP to activate your insurance. Have your referral details to hand when you call, as your insurer will need this information to confirm that the treatment you need is covered by your policy.' As health insurance is designed to cover medical issues that occur after you take out the policy, pre-existing conditions aren't covered. This means that if you don't already have insurance but are on an NHS waiting list for the procedure, or have seen the GP about your joint, you won't be able to take out private insurance to cover the cost. If you don't have private medical insurance but have the cash required, most private hospitals have a self-pay option. You'll be able to pay for an initial appointment and get a fixed price quote for the surgery. Alternatively, many providers allow you to spread the cost with a medical loan. Chrysalis Finance, for example, which works with major private hospital groups including Circle and Nuffield, offers to spread the cost of surgery over a maximum of five years, at 14.9pc yearly interest between two and five years, and has zero-interest options for shorter periods. Mr Steele says: 'Many private hospitals offer the option to spread the cost of your treatment, so if that's the route you're likely to take, remember to factor the cost of the finance into your decision-making process. 'You may find that while one private hospital charges more for the surgery, they have better finance terms and are therefore ultimately cheaper than others.' Factors that can influence the cost of hip replacement surgery A number of factors can impact the cost of a private hip replacement.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
After 20yrs of friendship, my pal Eamonn Holmes confided in me he's facing biggest battle yet – I'm heartbroken for him
AFTER more than two decades of friendship, my dear pal Eamonn Holmes confides in me a lot - from worries about his health to updates about his blossoming relationship with Katie Alexander. But when I spoke to him last, I couldn't help but worry as he told me he's facing his biggest battle yet. 9 9 Now Eamonn is so immobile he is struggling to get back to his beloved Northern Ireland and spend time with his children and grandkids - and it's breaking his heart. Having both grown up in Belfast and moved to London to fulfil our dreams of being journalists (albeit a few decades apart) Eamonn and I formed a great friendship from the first time meeting at an awards bash in the early Noughties. He was a constant support and took on the role of career mentor to me, often pulling me to the side to give me an exclusive interview - much to the irritation of my rival journalists. We've been to each other's homes and he's met my family - it's a friendship that extends beyond work. He's even been known over the years to offer me romantic advice. So it upsets me to see my great pal struggle through his health woes and put on a brave face despite being in constant agony. After years of battling chronic pain and sleepless nights, he finally had a double hip replacement at 55 in 2016, as a result of a congenital defect that wore away the cartilage around the socket. Then he was struck down with the virus shingles in 2018 on the day of his eldest son, Declan's wedding. In 2021, he discovered he had three slipped discs and a trapped sciatic nerve that affected the movement in his right leg and stopped him doing basic tasks. It led to him having spiral surgery in September 2022, after which he had to 'learn to walk' again. But his recovery suffered a setback when he fell down a spiral staircase and injured his shoulder, requiring further surgery. A year later he underwent a spine and neck stretching procedure in September 2023, after admitting he 'couldn't walk'. And earlier this week, he left fans worried about his health after falling off his chair live on air on Wednesday's GB News. At 6.15am, a crash was heard off screen and his co-presenter Ellie Costello exclaimed: 'Oh my gosh'. Eamonn was then heard saying: 'I'm fine, fine, fine, carry on, carry on.' Eamonn Holmes reveals injured area after shock fall live on TV After an extended six-minute ad break, Eamonn returned to screens, joking: 'I'm still alive' and blaming the 'wonky' wheels on his chair. He added: 'It was a shock for me because I had a fall two weeks ago in my bathroom that hospitalised me and that hit me right in the back. 'And that hit me again right in the back. It's really, really sore - really sore.' Eamonn was rushed to hospital earlier this month after taking a tumble at home. Sharing a picture of an ambulance on Instagram he said: 'An unexpected journey this morning... bit of a fall on the bathroom floor. Gosh it hurts. Thank you Ambulance crew.' 9 9 9 Knowing Eamonn so well, his attitude would very much be that the show must go on. While he was absent from the show the following day, it won't be long before he's back on our screens as work is his greatest love. Eamonn, who has never forgotten his roots, gets up in the middle of the night to read every newspaper and briefing and be prepped and ready to present his GB News breakfast show every morning. The last time I saw Eamonn, 64, was when he was acting as Master of Ceremonies at The Irish Post Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Sat in a wheelchair and clearly in pain, the consummate professional Eamonn still continued to deliver and kept the crowd amused with his witty banter. It was the first showbiz event he had attended with his partner, psychologist Katie Alexander, 43. BIGGEST BATTLE But he admitted the biggest battle of his health woes is inability to get back to his beloved Belfast and see his three children - Declan, 36, Rebecca, 34, and Niall, 32 - from his first marriage. He also has a 23-year-old son Jack with Ruth Langsford. He told me: 'I've never forgotten where I came from. 'It's great to represent Northern Ireland... I've loved being back in Belfast and spending time with my family, particularly my grandkids, Emelia, three, and one-year-old Isabella.' Reflecting on how his mobility has hindered his ability to go back home, he previously told me: 'It's too much to go to Belfast. It's too much hassle. 'The staff at George Best City Airport are superbly good to me. "Airports work really well if you have a disability but it's made me very aware of how difficult life is for people who are wheelchair bound. "Even if you do have accessibility, sometimes it's not big enough to get the chair in through the door or it opens the wrong way. "You just would not believe the inaccessibility to get into restaurants or hotels or theatres or football grounds. It's just absolutely unbelievable.' It's a far cry from the man who at the start of his career in London would commute back to Northern Ireland jumping on a plane every weekend. He reminisced about once making an appearance on Noel's House Party saying: 'I got the last flight back to Belfast at about 10 o'clock from Heathrow. "So British Midland flight back and I was at a dinner party on the Antrim Road by 11 o'clock. "I remember having a good night in somebody else's house and thinking 'that's how to do it - television at seven o'clock and then home here 11 o'clock at night with all your friends.' Absolutely. Great." 9 9 9 His travel woes also impact his relationship with the 43-year-old psychologist. Eamonn is based in a penthouse flat in Kingston, South-West London whereas Katie prefers to stay in her native Yorkshire where she co-parents her two teenage children with her ex-husband. The couple went Instagram official earlier this week when Katie posted a reel on social media of a recent day out with the TV presenter, who split from Ruth Langsford a year ago. Set to the The Levellers' song What a Beautiful Day, Katie captioned the cute snaps: 'Lovely weather…. Lovely company.' The photos showed the blonde dressed in a polka dot dress as she posed in the sunshine alongside Eamonn and her dog Dottie. Over the years Eamonn has tried all kinds of treatments - both traditional and complementary medicines to try and aid his recovery. He once joked to me: 'Honestly I'd drink horse pee if it worked for me. 'I spend a lot of money on trying to get better. I'm just taking every chance.' The proud man also admitted having to rely on his friends and family is something he finds hard. He told me: 'My son Niall, what shall we call him? My assistant, my other crutch. 'I do my best but I still need help from quite a few people. It makes me feel humble, helpful but grateful. 'The frustration, the indignity of having to say 'please may I have …' 175 times a day. 'I'm doing everything I can to get better but it's slow.' APPRECIATION FOR LIFE Eamonn who has been on our screens for more than 40 years admits that it's his job that keeps him sane. He explains: 'Work. I must use my brain. I can walk and sit like I do on GB News so I'm grateful. 'I like getting out. I haven't lost my need to work. What is the point of not doing things? 'I thank God that mentally I can cope … I have a joie de vivre.' Despite all his health woes, Eamonn still has an appreciation for life, especially knowing his dad Leonard died at 65 from a heart attack. He explained: 'My dad was dead by my age, so any extra is a bonus. 'Your health is your wealth. You miss it when it's gone. Look after yourself as much as you can is my advice.' Reflecting on his own mortality back in 2020, he told me: 'I think there's a certain morbidity where you think you've only got so many years left, and that's why I think lockdown has concentrated my mind in terms of right the clock's ticking, what have you got to do while you're still alive. "I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do my friend, but I do feel the clock's ticking and you sort of feel I want more time. 'We don't know the brevity of life, we don't know how long we have left, and we have a duty to live it as best as we can.' Ruth and Eamonn's relationship timeline Before the shock split announcement, Ruth and Eamonn seemed like one of the strongest couples on UK TV – even with their signature bickering style. Here's how their romance played out... 1997 - The couple first meet after being introduced by mutual friends, two years after Eamonn splits from his first wife, Gabrielle, with whom he has three children. 1997-2002 - To be respectful to Gabrielle, the couple kept their relationship out of the limelight. Ruth told Daily Mail: "I thought it spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had. It made me love him more, not less." 2002 - Ruth and Eamonn welcome their son, Jack, to the family. 2005 - Eamonn finalises his divorce with Gabrielle. 2006 - The pair begin to host Friday episodes of This Morning together. 2010 - Eamonn proposes to Ruth while at the Cheltenham Races, after asking Ruth's mother for her hand. June 2010 - Eamonn and Ruth marry at Elvetham Hall, Hampshire. 2016 - Eamonn undergoes a double hip replacement in the first of many health battles. June 2019 - On This Morning, Ruth and Eamonn say the secret to their happy marriage. Eamonn credits "compromise, consideration and lots of conjugal," while Ruth said it was "laughter and an equal marriage". November 2020 - Ruth and Eamonn are replaced on their regular Friday slot by Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary in a 'show shake-up'. December 202 1 - After a year of being moved to the bank holiday presenting slot, both Eamonn and Ruth left This Morning. January 2022 - Eamonn debuted on GB News, while Ruth stayed with ITV in her long-standing role on Loose Women. September 2022 - Eamonn undergoes spinal surgery after years of back issues including a trapped sciatic nerve. November 2022 - Eamonn falls down the stairs of his Surrey home with Ruth and breaks his shoulder, requiring a new operation. September 2023 - Eamonn has a spine and neck stretching procedure as part of his year-long recovery. May 2024 - Ruth and Eamonn announce they have split after 14 years of marriage and a 27-year relationship. September 2024 - Eamonn was spotted on a luxury holiday in Barcelona with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander. Ruth calls in a 'fierce' divorce lawyer.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Patti Newton is hospitalised and undergoes major surgery amid health woes
Patti Newton has revealed she is recovering in hospital after undergoing major surgery. The 80-year-old shared a photo to Instagram of herself lying in a hospital bed while embracing her grandson Alby. She revealed she had a full hip replacement and is 'feeling fine' as she recovers in a Melbourne hospital. 'Had a full hip replacement and feeling fine. Thank you to all at Epworth hospital and my wonderful surgeon,' Patti wrote. 'I'll be chasing Alby around again in no time.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. It comes after Patti temporarily pulled out of Grease: The Musical back in January after being struck down with Covid. She posted to Instagram to announce to her fans that she would be missing a run of the show in Sydney. 'So sorry to be missing the previews for Grease,' the showbiz legend wrote in her caption. 'Unfortunately Covid has hit me again. Looking forward to being back next week,' she added. The image showed Patti all dressed up for her role as Miss Lynch in the popular musical production. Patti was previously struck down with Covid right as she was about to start her run in the Melbourne production of Grease: The Musical in December 2023. The showbiz icon shared the sad news with her fans at the time, posting to Instagram to show her legs covered in a blanket. 'Happy New Year hope it's a wonderful 2024. Covid has hit me but wishing the cast of Grease an amazing first show. See you back there soon,' she wrote. Married to Bert for a staggering 47 years, Patti told the Herald Sun that doing the hit musical was one of 'best things' she could do for herself because it helped her heal Patti renewed her showbiz career as a way to cope with the loss of her beloved husband Bert Newton, who died in 2021 at the age of 83. She threw herself into a featured role in the touring stage production of Mary Poppins before joining Grease. Married to Bert for a staggering 47 years, Patti told the Herald Sun that doing the hit musical was one of 'best things' she could do for herself, because it helped her heal. She said her late husband Bert will always be her one true love and she is still haunted by his death in 2021. 'Bert will always be the love of my life. I'll never stop thinking about him,' the performer said. She then revealed some of the ways she keeps Bert's memory alive since he passed away on October 30, 2021, following a long illness. 'When Bert was in Epworth Hospital, he had this little wooden cross. A friend of mine had given it to him. Bert used to pick it up from the tray and kiss it,' she said. 'He'd hold it for a minute and then put it down. I take it to the theatre with me and before a show I pick it up and kiss it.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Faster surgeries
A possible solution to cut the wait list for Canadians in need of hip and knee replacement surgeries
CBC
20-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
It's much faster to get hip or knee replacements if there's a central waitlist: study
Canadians who need a hip or knee replacement could get the surgery more quickly — without adding to health-care budgets or opening more operating rooms — if central waitlists were created, the author of a new study says. The findings, published in Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggest it's significantly faster to add patients to a central list where they can see any surgeon in their area, compared to each surgeon having their own waitlists. Right now in Ontario, a primary care provider, such as your family doctor, refers you to a surgeon or physiotherapist to decide whether surgery is needed. If it is, you'll be put on one surgeon's waiting list, which could be long or short. Often, it's a long wait — in Canada, only two-thirds of patients receive their hip replacement within the 26-week recommended standard, according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. For knee replacements, only 59 per cent are done within that time. So that's prompted some provinces to experiment with how they assign surgery patients to waitlists, with the goal of shortening overall wait times. For the study, Dr. David Urbach, head of the surgery department at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, and his team compared three models based on data collected from more than 17,000 patients across Ontario who were referred for hip or knee replacements in 2017. The three models were: Option 1: A family doctor refers you for assessment to a pool of surgeons or physiotherapists in the part of the province where you live. If you need surgery, you're assigned a surgeon and put on their waitlist. Option 2: The family doctor refers you to a specific surgeon or physiotherapist to decide whether surgery is needed. If you need an operation, then you're put in a pool for the next available surgeon in the part of the province where you live. Option 3: A combination of the first two: Your family doctor puts the request for assessment into a central pool — and, if you need surgery, you enter a second pool that includes all the qualified surgeons in your area and would see the next one available. Currently, patients awaiting joint replacements are like customers at a grocery store, Urbach said in an interview — they're stuck in a line, even if another checkout opens up. But the better option for surgery would be akin to going to the bank, where everybody moves through a common line and waits the shortest possible time. WATCH | Hospital replaces hips in 35 minutes: How a hospital is doing hip replacements in 35 minutes 1 year ago Duration 4:52 Toronto's Humber River Hospital has started using a new model to get more hip replacement patients through the operating room. CBC's Christine Birak breaks down how hyper-throughput surgeries work and why the hospital says it's the type of innovation provinces should invest in. When it comes to wait times, Urbach said the study found that random factors can crop up and slow down one surgeon — like one having an already long wait list and limited operating room time in a more rural area. Shorter waits with new system Priority for joint replacement surgery also depends on criteria like the degree of pain and disability and the risk of a worse outcome with a delay in surgery. In Ontario, the goal is for a patient to wait no longer than six months for a consultation, with the maximum wait for the surgery itself being another six months, the researchers said. For top priority cases, 90 days is the target wait time for those on a single surgeon's list, while the study found that comparable patients in the regional pool made it through in 84 days. In the study, Option 3 — where there was a central intake for consultation and for surgery — nearly halved wait times for the vast majority of patients in all regions, ranging from 111 fewer days in Toronto (from 257 to 146 days) to 281 days in Ontario West (from 536 to 255 days). Much of the wait time for joint replacements was for the surgery itself and not the consultation, the researchers found. "Unless you introduce a team-based model of care, you just have to wait until a spot opens up and that could be very long," Urbach said. "That could be a year, year-and-a-half or longer." Getting surgeons to buy in Canadians may have heard of team-based primary care, where patients have access to a well-connected interprofessional team such as family doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers and dietitians. Similarly, in team-based surgical care, a group of surgeons takes the next patient in order of priority, even if a patient's particular surgeon has a very long list, Urbach said. Asked what kind of reaction surgeons have given to team-based surgical care so far, Urbach said many are skeptical about moving away from keeping their own list of patients. "They're concerned that they'll lose their source of referrals," Urbach said. Dr. Olufemi Ayeni, president of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association and an orthopedic surgeon at McMaster, said he sees that view dissipating among those in the profession. "I think there will be some openness and there's definitely been a culture shift within orthopedics," Ayeni said. "We don't like hearing about patients who are suffering, needing pain medications. It feeds into other concerns [such as] opioid use." The study's authors acknowledged that unless surgeons believe that team-based models of care are beneficial to them and do not threaten their autonomy or opportunities for income and professional advancement, "these models of care are unlikely to be viable in Canadian health systems in which physicians are highly independent." Ayeni agreed, saying otherwise the response to team-based care among surgeons will be muted. Mohamed Alarakhia, a family physician and managing director of the non-profit eHealth Centre for Excellence in Kitchener, Ont., uses e-referrals for specialists. Alarakhia said it has already reduced orthopedic wait times by 54 days. Wait times across Canada Using a central intake for both assessment and surgeries equalizes wait times overall among surgeons, Alarakhia said. "We have examples in this province of where we've figured it out and across the country where they've done central intake," Alarakhia said, giving Quebec and Alberta as examples. "I believe we can solve these problems if we get some of these things in place." Health PEI said it's now adopting a centralized waitlist management system for surgical care, including hip and knee replacements.
