Kathy Mitchell has been told she must wait for a knee replacement

Northampton Primary Care Trust said the need to control funding means a number of difficult decisions on low-priority operations will have to be taken.

The trust was responding to a claim by a Northampton woman she must wait more than five months for knee replacement.

Kathy Mitchell blames a shortage of money at Northampton General Hospital.

She fears that both her knees will deteriorate during that time.

She said: "Nothing has been explained to me and I want to know why I have to wait five and half months for surgery.

We are also managing our available funding and resources to ensure that we end the financial year in a stable position. Northampton PCT

"I'm not a youngster but have always been a very active person and worked at the hospital for 25 years as a volunteer bureau driver.

"Now I find I cannot have an active life at all. I cannot sit down because I stiffen up and the pain gets worse. I'm finding life very difficult."

A Northampton Primary Care Trust (PCT) spokeswoman said local health services are to be reorganised over the next three months and the trust expects to be replaced.

The uncertainty about the future has led to a number of difficult decisions, which will affect non-urgent, routine operations and certain low clinical priority procedures over the next three to four months.

Matching resources to demand

Details of the improvements that have been made in health services in Northampton and the challenges which are still faced are to be discussed at a meeting later this week.

The chief executive will also reveal the immediate measures that Northampton PCT is taking to manage its resources and match resources to capacity and demand.

The spokeswoman said: "As part of our preparations for the introduction of new primary care organisations, Northampton PCT is committed to maintaining national waiting time targets.