Welcome to the Circle Integrated Care waiting well information centre. The pandemic has led to increases in wait times to access our community services, which we’re working as fast as we can to improve, with extra clinics and more flexible ways of working, so for some conditions, you may be offered a video or telephone appointment to assess your condition with one of our specialist clinicians.
If you have been referred to a hospital via the MSK service for elective surgery, such as knee replacements, shoulder surgery and spinal surgery, the wait times have increased significantly. Unfortunately, this is outside the control of community services, but we are keen to support you where we can. We have curated a bespoke list of websites/information sources that may be helpful for your condition whilst you are awaiting your procedure – in some instances the combination of time and continued rehabilitation may mean you’re able to avoid surgery altogether.
The wait times across some NHS Trusts have doubled due to the pandemic. Wait times can also fluctuate, so the best place to access a real-time wait time is via the MyPlannedCare website, where you can select the hospital & speciality to get a realistic guide for how long the anticipated wait is.
Whilst MSK (joint/muscle pains) can be very painful and frustrating to live with, many pains will flare up and recover naturally over a 12-week period. If you have any concerns regarding worsening of your condition, please contact 111, or consult with your GP.
It’s important to consider your general health whilst waiting for any surgical procedure, so reducing any excessive weight, stopping smoking, and reducing alcohol intake can be useful, for further information on any or all of these elements, please visit the NHS Live Well website.
For advice on common conditions, and advice on simple exercises, you can view our MSK condition information here. It may be that you prefer other forms of exercise, which is fine – in fact – exercises that you enjoy, whether that is yoga, walking, swimming, or tai-chi have been found to be just as effective for a range of joint problems.
The NHS Fitness Studio is a great place to start, if you want to try some graded exercise programmes. The key advice is to start slowly and gradually build up the time and intensity of exercise as you are able/comfortable to. If you experience any severe pain or swelling because of exercising, then it may be sensible to await your appointment for advice.
If you develop any symptoms of those listed below, then medical advice should be sought, whether this is via 111, your GP or local A&E.
- Constant, Severe pain that you cannot ease – particularly at night
- Weight Loss
- Fever
- Lumps or bumps or bumps that are increasing in size/your referrer is not aware of
- Feeling significantly unwell
- A change in symptoms after a significant injury, such as a fall
- Loss of bladder or bowel control or sensation loss of the genitals/back passage
- Feelings/plans that you want to end your life
I’ve had an excellent experience at MSK in Bedford. From the physio – who was superb, through to the consultant app.
Circle Integrated Care patient Google review
The exercises they prescribed made a difference in 3 days and now just over a week after seeing them, the pain is MILES better.
Circle Integrated Care patient Google review