NHS Orthopaedic waiting list - Good News!

I have good news about waiting lists for a change! I need surgery on my right hand. It's not life threatening but makes it difficult to use my hand which in turn makes it difficult to look after my other half - cook, drive, etc etc. After 18 months and 3 steroid injections I finally got a physio who agreed that I need an operation. Within 2 weeks I got a letter with a choice of 4 centres - and the waiting times from consultation to surgery. My local hospital had a waiting list of 93 weeks - the longest one. The private Nuffield Hospital in Bristol, which is taking on a lot of NHS surgery ( and has the same surgeons!) had a waiting time of 34 weeks. I got a consultation, face to face, within a week. Ah, surgery next spring I thought. When I saw the surgeon yesterday he said there were hundreds of free orthopaedic slots available, and he didn't know why people were not booking their appointments with the Nuffield. He also said that he could do the operation in 3 - yes 3 - weeks. It will only be 6 weeks from referral to operation. Go and shout it from the roof tops, he said, the media is stirring up fear and frustration, and many of these available slots are unused. So .. if you need elective orthopaedic surgery in the Bristol/Weston NHS area then make sure you choose the private hospital when you get your list of options. I suspect it's a similar situation in other disciplines and other areas.