When Michael Welcome decided he couldn’t wait any longer on the NHS for a knee replacement, he opted to have the operation privately at The Horder Centre.
Michael, who will be 80 next year and lives in West Sussex, said he was on the NHS waiting list and when his knee condition worsened, was told he was moved to a shorter list.
But when he rang in November, he found out that February 2018 was the earliest operation date he could expect.