Patrick Daly has worked as a butcher in Cork for over 40 years, starting as an apprentice with Vincent Nolan's in the English Market in the 1960s. He has worked for Jerry Nolan, a nephew of Vincent's, in Fairhill for 27 years.
For a long time, he was experiencing a burning sensation going from his thumb up past his wrist in his right arm. When he had it checked out, he was put on a waiting list with University College Hospital, Cork, for two years before being put in touch with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).
"Within about six weeks, having filled in a form and made about two phone calls, I was sent over to England on January 5th and I was back on the 8th."
He travelled to the Hampshire Clinic accompanied by his son, Christopher.
He had a 45-minute orthopaedic operation carried out on his thumb which, Mr Daly says, was arthritic-like after years of physical work prising skin from animal carcases. He was the 10,000th patient to be treated under the NTPF.
"The thumb is a bit weaker. Other than that, it is grand.
"The people over in the Hampshire Clinic were absolutely superb. Really and truly, it was absolutely unbelievable."
ÉIBHIR MULQUEEN