In today’s world, you almost expect to have a joint replaced as you get older. It is a very common procedure, performed thousands of times every day in the UK. Joint replacements change people’s lives and enable mobility in later years that would have been unthought-of in the early 1970s.

In England and Wales there are approx. 67,000 hip and 68,000 knee replacement procedures each year. There is also an increasing number of ankle replacements taking place with 600 in 2015. Shoulder procedures are also common with just over 5,000 performed in 2015.

In the UK, there are approx. 400 hospitals that perform hip and knee replacement with 1/3^rd being private and 2/3^rd run by the NHS.

The concerning reality is that the demand for joint replacements continues to grow, especially as people live longer. The ability of the NHS to cope with the increased demand is in question, especially as funding continues to be cut. The result is many people needed the joint replacement treatment, but having to wait in pain for long periods of time. In Wales, there is an additional 4 month for hip replacements.

To cope with the increased demand, the private sector will need to perform an increasing number of the operations with priority given to people with insurance cover or who are willing to pay.

The replacement of worn and damaged joints is an amazing advance in medicine, but the success is resulting in putting an ever-increasing strain on NHS resources.

For information on Private Health Insurance, designed to provide people with special treatment or when someone needs to go into hospital, please contact us on:

• david@healthinsurewales.co.uk
• call us on 07721 533443
• Send an enquiry via our website