After waiting more than year, I was offered surgery 160 miles from home. I turned it down

A woman from southern Scotland fears she faces a lengthy wait for knee replacement surgery after turning down the chance of getting the operation more than 160 miles (250km) away.

Dorothy Thomson, 73, of Dumfries, suffered complications when surgeons operated on her right knee and - after having a heart attack four years ago - fears she could face a prolonged stay in Liverpool.

She said the "long trek" south was too much and too far from loved ones and she wanted the operation closer to home.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway said surgery was being offered in Liverpool as part of a new partnership which it hoped could cut waiting lists and treat up to 180 patients in just three months.

Dorothy contacted BBC Your Voice to highlight how many people from the region were being offered hip or knee replacement surgery south of the border.

She said it had come as a surprise to her but she did not feel she could face the more than 300-mile round trip due to the distance from family and her overall health condition.

"I've been on the waiting list for over a year and they phoned out of the blue and said that if I wanted to go to Liverpool, it could be done within the next two months," she said.

"But the practicalities, I don't have anybody in the north of England - my family are further up and I'd prefer either Dumfries or the Golden Jubilee [in Clydebank].

"Also my husband, he's not going to be able to drive down to Liverpool and back to see me."

She had her other knee operated on about nine years ago at the Golden Jubilee when he had been able to stay in the hotel next door.

"He could come through and see me every day - bring me clean nighties and all the wee bits and pieces that you need," she said.

Dorothy had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic and ended up staying in hospital longer than she should have.

She also said she had been "comparatively healthy" when she had her first knee operation.

"I don't feel I'm as healthy now after having had a heart attack," she said.

That has compounded her concerns which led to her turning down the option of surgery in England.

"If I'm down in Liverpool for five or six nights, I'm just going to feel lost down there," she said.

"I've been to Liverpool, I like it, but it's a long trek especially if you're not feeling great, you know.

"If anything happens to me in Liverpool, nobody's going to be able to see me."

NHS Dumfries and Galloway said it had entered into the partnership with Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as part of a national Scotland-wide initiative.

It said the aim was to increase access to treatment for patients waiting for orthopaedic procedures and reduce waiting times overall.

The programme was established last month and will run until the end of April.

"We expect to provide up to 180 procedures to patients in that time, and, as of 10 March, 150 patients have signed up," it added.