Hervey Bay woman’s agonising wait for hip surgery referral

Living in agony a retired public servant still can’t get an initial referral to see an orthopedic surgeon despite intervention from her local MP’s office and Qld Health’s 90-day deadline expiring months ago.

Sarah Laikind and her husband, Michael Elliott, have been waiting for months for a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.

A former public servant who spent the later years of her career fighting for justice in the court system is now struggling to move and walk while she desperately awaits a double hip replacement.

Sarah Laikind, 63, has been dealing with multiple serious conditions ever since she was medically retired in 2020 and is unable to take strong painkillers.

Consistent visits to her GP as she awaits a referral from the public hospital system have identified that Ms Laikind has also developed muscular atrophy, a condition where muscles decrease in size, leading to weakness or a loss of function.

However, she, like thousands of others, is stuck on a waiting list and as of this week has not even been able to secure a first appointment to see a surgeon at the Hervey Bay hospital.

“I’m in pain all the time,” she said.

“I’m really worried because it’s getting so much worse, so much more quickly.”

Sarah Laikind and her husband, Michael Elliott, have been waiting for months for a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.

Ms Laikind was classified as category two in the public hospital system after a working life on her feet came to an end five years ago.

A category two on a waiting list is considered semi-urgent, where a patient is feeling pain, dysfunction, or disability, and requires an admission to hospital within 90 days.

Ms Laikind has now waited five months and not being able to take pain relief is making things unbearable.

“It’s not just pain, it’s chronic pain.”

She requested a consultation with a Wide Bay orthopaedic surgeon, but was told one was not available in the public system.

This prompted Ms Laikind and her husband, Michael, to think about whether they would have to sell their home in order to pay for private treatment.

The stress has led her to feel like she is spiralling into a panicked state.

“I don’t know whether it’s the pills or the pain, but I seem to be falling back down that hole again,” she said.

Sarah has been trying to get in touch with an orthopaedic surgeon for months.

“We’ve all worked so hard to get me where I am.”

A formal complaint was made through Hervey Bay MP David Lee’s office to the office of the Health Minister, Tim Nicholls, but nothing has changed.

Ms Laikind’s story is just one of many across Wide Bay, with a spokesperson for Wide Bay Health and Hospital Service saying “reducing our specialist waiting lists is a priority for our health service”.

“Our focus is on seeing our most urgent patients first, supporting those who have been waiting longer than expected, and meeting the community’s health needs,” it continued.

“We have recently recruited a new Director of Orthopaedics … we understand the importance of timely care and our team is actively working to ensure patients are seen as soon as possible.”

Hervey Bay Hospital is currently undergoing construction upgrades.

Ms Laikind is still waiting for her referral but insists there should be better transparency when being placed on a waiting list.

“It can’t be the hardest thing in the world,” she said.

“I don’t want anyone to get into trouble or cause a ruckus.

“All I want to do is get in front of an orthopaedic surgeon.”

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Originally published as Hervey Bay woman’s agonising wait for hip surgery referral