Holt woman waits nearly three years for back pain treatment

Lesley Cook, from Holt, is fighting for more to be done after her back pain continues to go untreated, leaving her struggle just to walk.

It was in January 2023 when she first woke up with a back ache.

After feeling the pain get worse despite her own attempts to settle it, she was referred to Cromer Hospital in August that year.

She had an x-ray in September and following the result, she paid for three sessions with a physio but it didn't help.

She has been waiting nearly three years for treatment. (Image: Denise Bradley)

That is when she was sent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and was told she was "too old" for surgery.

Instead they said they could try steroid injections, but warned her that they may not work.

She booked a private consultation at Spire, which cost £500, but she could not afford the cost of private injections so she was put on the NHS waiting list.

It was then in March 2025, she received a letter which said she had been referred to the pain management clinic and last week, she finally had her appointment - nearly three years from her first one.

But still she has had no injections.

Ms Cook lives in Holt. (Image: Denise Bradley)

"My back is now bent over so far, I am struggling with everything, walking especially," Ms Cook said.

"Even my volunteering job at Holt Cromer Community is now getting too much for me, and I may have to give it up unless I can get my back sorted.

"This job is my life, I have nothing else. I get to meet and greet people and I will be lost without the company of others.

"I cannot continue living like this. It's getting worse every day.

"It is debilitating."

Chris Cobb, NNUH chief operating officer, said: "We are very sorry to anyone waiting longer than expected for investigations and treatment and know we have more to do.

"We continually review our waiting lists and we are prioritising cancer, the most urgent and longest-waiting patients.

“Our trust has made a significant effort in reducing overall waiting times over the last year, with the waiting list for planned care dropping from 82,000 to 65,000 patients in the last four months. We have also seen a reduction in long waits over this period.

"The pain management service is working hard to reduce the waiting times for first appointments and have created two Advanced Clinical Practitioner roles to address this.

"This has also created flexibility with our pain management injection clinics.

"These posts have been filled and are operational, and as a result, there has been a 25pc decrease in waiting times in this service.”