A Surfleet Seas End man says being left in pain for several months shows the mess the NHS is in.
Freddie Honnor (60) had been on the painkiller tapentadol for 13 years until February this year when doctors told him it was no longer available on the NHS in Lincolnshire.
He’s had neck and head pains since successful surgery to remove thyroid cancer in 2004.
Instead he was prescribed a type of morphine, MST Continus, and though it originally did relieve the pain, it had a debilitating effect.
“I couldn’t walk across the living room, so I had to come off it,” he said. “I’m a motorbike rider and it left me unsafe to ride.
“Tapentadol is perfect for me. Without it the head and neck pains are unbelievable.
“I did some research and it’s available in Scotland, Wales etc even Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, so why not Lincolnshire?”
Freddie recently visited a private hospital in Cambridge and, for a hefty price, was able to purchase a supply of the tablets he previously got on the NHS.
The Voice asked Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) for its reasoning and Freddie also took the issue up with them.
Then last week he was told he could have the tablets again on the NHS.
The response from the ICB implies that it’s because the Lincolnshire ICB is in the process of merging with the corresponding bodies in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, the latter of which does fund tapentadol prescriptions.
“It really outlines how much of a muddle the NHS is in right now,” Freddie said. “I’ve spoken to lots of brilliant people working for them and Gosberton surgery has been brilliant, but the various groups have no idea what each other does.
“The individuals are fantastic but the joined up parts don’t seem to work.”
A spokesman for the Lincolnshire ICB said it was unable to comment on individuals but said: “The ICB encourages discussion with a GP, pain specialist or treating clinician to understand the rationale for individual treatment plans and discuss any appropriate alternatives.”
