Arthritis diagnosis

That’s a shame not to have got a correct diagnosis straight away. I hope a steroid injection will ease the pain and in view of how long waiting lists for operations are I’d get a referral as soon as possible.

I would also suggest further appointments with the same physio, regardless of whether the steroid injection works, as it will help you gain overall strength which will also help with driving. I had a hip replacement five years ago.
I went to an excellent physio who gave me exercises before and after my operation, including attending hydro exercise classes. The stronger your hip pre operation the better, and further physio and exercises at home afterwards aid recovery. The good news is hip replacements have a much higher success rate than knee operations. Good luck.

I had a guided Hip injection last year expecting pain relief for however long, a few months at least, hopefully longer, but it immediately made things much worse than before. I wasn’t warned that it might not improve. I was unlucky I suppose so ask questions before hand.
About driving, an automatic car makes things easier. Good luck.