A pensioner who described her long hospital wait on the day of her operation as “scandalous” and “hell”, has received a letter of apology from the surgeon.

Yvonne Vinall, 78, of Station Road, Tunbridge Wells, left the new £230 million hospital in Pembury fuming on November 2 after being there for 12 hours for a pre-booked knee operation that day.

She waited for the "op that never was" after turning up at 7.30am, leaving more than 12 hours later at 8pm without so much as an incision.

Now Mrs Vinall has received a letter from the medic who cancelled the operation – Mr Senthil-Kumar Velayudham, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, saying: “I apologise for the inconvenience.”

He wrote: “It was in your best interests that the procedure was cancelled on November 2, 2011. Thank you very much for understanding that it was not my fault.”

He added that despite the team’s best efforts, her notes were not available.
Mrs Vinall said she was pleasantly surprised to get the letter and praised her surgeon’s honesty.