'My six-hour hospital wait'

A CANCER sufferer claims he was forced to wait at a Swansea hospital for nearly six hours for a vital procedure to see if the disease had spread — only to be told there were no beds available for him.

Pensioner David Evans, who has bladder cancer, was furious when he was sent home from Morriston Hospital because beds were log- jammed with emergency patients.

But the 65-year-old, from Christopher Road in Skewen, said he believed he should have been treated as high priority as cancer patients are meant to have procedures within two weeks.

Instead, he now faces a wait until Thursday, December 18, for the op.

Officials at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust have apologised to Mr Evans after the procedure had to be postponed.

The organisation blamed a high number of surgical emergencies from A&E for the problem and said it always aims to find a new date for surgery as soon as possible.

Mr Evans said: "I was in Morriston Hospital on Thursday from 7am until 12.30pm and was told 'I am sorry there are no beds' — I am fuming.

"I have had cancer of the bladder for the best part of eight years and the danger is if it becomes invasive it can kill. My surgeon sent me, after my last operation in September, to have a CT scan as from the results there was a thickening top at the top of the bladder.

"He then sent me for an MRI scan and then three days later an appointment was hand-delivered to me by my surgeon to go into Morriston Hospital on Thursday, as he must have thought it was serious."

Mr Evans added: "But I was told all the beds were taken up by emergencies — but something life or death is an emergency. Time is of the essence. It's a worry."

Since being diagnosed in 2000, Mr Evans has regularly had to return to Morriston Hospital every three months for procedures to keep the recurring disease under control.

He was full of praise for the staff and the surgeons who had treated him over the years, but critical of the administration of the hospital site.

Mr Evans added: "My surgeon has been fantastic and the medical staff have been great but the admin is the problem."

A spokeswoman for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust added: "We are very sorry that we were unable to carry out Mr Evans's procedure on Thursday.

"We understand that it is upsetting for a patient to come into hospital expecting to have an operation and then have it postponed, and we do all we can to minimise the risk of that happening.

"Unfortunately, planned operations are sometimes postponed because of emergency cases.

"On Thursday there were a high number of surgical emergencies from A&E. When this happens, consultants are asked to review their cases to ensure the sickest patients are treated first.

"Patient confidentiality rules mean we cannot go into any details about Mr Evans's case, but in general we always aim to offer patients a new date for surgery as soon as possible."