A woman from Swansea has been waiting 14 years for surgery on her knees and says she has been in constant pain the whole time.
Christine Haley, from Morriston, was originally referred for two partial knee replacements in 2008, but is still yet to have the surgery.
As a result, the 65-year-old said she'd been forced to give up her pub, as she was in too much pain trying to run it.
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Swansea Bay University Health Board said Christine had not been on a waiting list for 14 years but had been waiting to be clinically ready for surgery which it was ready to undertake as soon as she was assessed as suitable for it. They said she would be offered a new date for surgery as soon as possible.
Christine said she had an arthroscopy in 2008, where she was told her knees were 'bone on bone' and that she needed to have both of her joints partially replaced.
She said: "They told me I had to have the operation, and that there was no cartilage or anything left in there.
"It was originally postponed because I had procedures on my shoulder and elbow in 2009, which left me needing a partial shoulder replacement, and that meant I wouldn't be able to use crutches to get around if I had my knee surgery. I live alone so it would have been really hard for me to use a wheelchair.
"I fully accepted this and hoped that I would be able to have my surgery once I recovered. It took me almost a year to recover from this surgery and I was in constant pain. I have been in constant pain ever since.."
Christine has also had ongoing issues with her elbows, shoulders and hips which have made surgery impossible for her. To make matters worse for her, the pain from her knees and shoulder replacement left her unable to run her business, the Singleton Hotel.
"I had to give it up, my shoulder replacement meant that I couldn't lift my arm above my waist and I spent my days running up and down stairs which caused my knees so much pain.
"I had a beautiful little pub but I just couldn't run it anymore. I was a workaholic but I loved it, running a pub is non-stop work. One doctor even told me I should consider retirement, I was only 52, how could I retire?"
Christine returned the pub to Enterprise Inns in 2009.
It was in 2018 when she was finally booked in for her knee surgery, 10 years after her initial referral.
"I was booked in again after all that time, but it was cancelled. Then the pandemic hit, so I waited a bit longer and I eventually had a pre-assessment in 2021. Sadly, pre-assessments only last six months, and the one I had was nearly 10 months ago.
"I spent thousands making my home accessible so I could move around after I had the operation and it's all been for nothing."
"I am hopeful that I can have the knee replacement this year, but I'm worried that because it has been left so long, my knees will have been damaged beyond repair. I've also had so many problems with my elbows, my neck and my hips in the meantime that I'm worried that I won't be mobile."
"I also want to add that I don't think the NHS is failing, but rather that they are grossly underfunded by the government. I have no doubt that this has also impacted my treatment."
A spokesperson for Swansea Bay Health Board said: "We are sorry to hear of Ms Haley’s concerns about the delays to her treatment.
"She has not been on a waiting list for 14 years but has been waiting to be clinically ready for surgery which we are ready to undertake as soon as she is assessed as suitable for it.
"Ms Haley has been seen regularly to assess her fitness for knee replacement surgery. Sadly, the clinical assessments have been that because of other conditions we are supporting her with, the surgery was not clinically appropriate.
"That is why our surgeons and therapists keep her under regular review so that if she becomes clinically suitable for surgery it can take place.
"The health board is running additional orthopaedic lists to help with waiting times, and is developing an orthopaedic centre of excellence at Neath Port Talbot Hospital.
"We will offer Ms Haley a new date for surgery as soon as possible. In the meantime, we would invite her to contact us so we can discuss her concerns directly."
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