Elderly woman driven to remove cyst from her own eye whilst another person filled their own teeth

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

An elderly woman was driven to remove a cyst from her own eye after waiting years for treatment.

The dangerous procedure was revealed in a report looking at the long delays facing people awaiting treatment for conditions in north Wales.

The Citizen Experiences Report, presented during a meeting of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board on Thursday, found frustrated patients were taking matters into their own hands due to long waits for help.

It also described long waits experienced by patients in the emergency departments at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Ysbyty Wrexham Maelor, and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Patients waiting up to 36 hours had been reported and “overcrowding, uncertainty, and discomfort” were also “common concerns”.

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'Listening and understanding'

The public consultation had been part of a “listening and understanding” initiative aimed at improving the design and delivery of care and services.

There had been 300 enquiries from MPs and MSs over their constituents’ experiences, with waiting times “the main focus”.

One had described a former nurse, now 84, who had been placed on the ophthalmology waiting list in June 2019, but who had waited around three years until being seen.

“She says that she then had some procedures which did not help, and eventually removed a cyst on her eye herself,” the report quoted.

“She is waiting for an eye operation, which was requested in October 2023, and her eyesight is deteriorating rapidly.

“As a former nurse and nurse manager, she has given her working life to care for other people. Now she needs some care of her own.”

Another concerned a man who wished to enlist with the British Army, but was unable to because of the health of his teeth.

The report said: “He has not been able to find an NHS dentist nearby due to a chronic shortage of dentists in North Wales, and private dentists have quoted a minimum of £3,000 for treatment.”

Waiting had also had a “catastrophic impact” on one patient’s life who suffered daily pain, and another, awaiting an operation for bladder stones, endured “continual bleeding”.

Community conversations also highlighted issues over outpatient waiting times, access to services, ambulance and emergency department delays, and communication.

Llais, the body which gives people a “voice” when accessing health services, had also gathered data.

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"Challenges"

Comments included “significant challenges” accessing timely and affordable primary care, difficulty accessing GP appointments and the absence or loss of NHS dental provision.

Delayed treatment or self-management of dental problems had manifested “sometimes in unsafe or distressing ways”.

Comments included: “I ended up filling my own tooth with a kit from the chemist.”

Another patient reported waiting: “12 hours in a corridor on a trolley.”

Long delays for specialist services, including audiology, cataract surgery, neuro-developmental assessment, and respiratory care were also "a major concern”.

The meeting heard that despite many views highlighting “dissatisfaction or frustration”, many other participants had also expressed “gratitude” and praise for the “professionalism and compassion” by hospital staff, members and teams.

The report also described measures taken by the board to address calls for improvements.

In dental care this included creating contracts worth over £1.5 million to expand NHS dental provision.

Further procurement exercises, covering general dental services, orthodontics, oral surgery, and non-urgent access, also totalled over £5 million.

A new dental access portal, launched in February, was also helping “simplify and centralise” access to care.

Improvements to areas such as emergency departments, dermatology, gynaecology, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, cancer services, and a midwifery ward bereavement suite had also been implemented.

In neuro-developmental services, providing mental health support for children and young people, a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) improvement programme was in place.

The new Crisis Hub – Alternatives to Admission – service had also supported 266 people in its first quarter since opening in February.

The board acknowledged that “significant work” remained to address “challenges” in a “sustainable, long-term way”.