A Dundee woman who has been waiting more than eight years for life-changing surgery has been told she must return to the back of the queue.
Jane, whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity, has been on an NHS waiting list since 2015 for a procedure to address vaginal prolapse.
She described how the “humiliating” condition left her feeling suicidal after dealing with incontinence, being unable to exercise or walk down her own street on some days.
And she spoke of fears for her marriage after struggling to be intimate with her husband for nearly 10 years.
The NHS Tayside patient fears her wait could now be extended to more than a decade because the only consultant in the region who can carry out the procedure is currently signed off on long-term leave.
“This has basically ruined my life since I was 40 years old.”
Jane will instead have to travel to Fife for treatment and has been told she may have to wait up to 50 weeks for a routine urology outpatient appointment because she will need to start from the bottom of the list.
It is not clear how much longer she will have to wait for the surgery to be performed after that initial meeting but NHS Fife admitted it has a “considerable” backlog.
Life-changing procedure
Jane told us she only discovered there was no consultant in Tayside who could carry out her procedure when she was told by a Ninewells receptionist while attending a pre-op appointment earlier this year.
She said: “I’ve felt so alone throughout this whole process.
“This surgery is not for a life-threatening condition but it’s a life-changing operation. I feel that my life has been on hold all this time.”
She continued: “I just want a normal life. I don’t feel like a woman, a young woman.
“They don’t look at the mental health impact of this. Having to live with this, having to not be with your husband.
“My mental health has been really bad with it over the years.
“To keep someone hanging on for this length of time is just cruel.”
Why has it taken so long?
Jane’s treatment was delayed in 2015 following a Scottish Government-commissioned review of transvaginal mesh procedures.
She was told she would be added to a “hopper” list so she would go to the top of the queue when surgery became available again.
But it took more than six years for treatment to recommence and for her to be offered an alternative non-mesh procedure.
That process was further held up by the Covid pandemic but Jane has also received multiple apologies for a series of other delays in her care.
She was told she will now need to begin the process over again after being the subject of an out of area referral to NHS Fife.
Bosses say this is to “expedite” her surgery.
“The day I got that email I just literally cried the whole day,” Jane said.
“I’ve been to the point of considering suicide over this.
“This has basically ruined my life since I was 40 years old.”
Treatment branded ‘despicable’
Jane believes other women added to the waiting list around the same time may be facing similar circumstances.
North East MSP Michael Marra has written to NHS Tayside chief executive Grant Archibald seeking answers.
He said: “To leave a woman waiting for over eight years for essential surgery is well beyond a failure of process, of human error or lack of ready resource. It is despicable.
“Scottish Government ministers have ignored her, NHS Tayside has neglected her as year by year her health has left her.
“She has been robbed of her dignity and much of what we all should expect as normality.
“No eight year wait for treatment can ever be acceptable.
“When those eight years are filled with pain, daily discomfort and vastly reduced quality of life, it becomes scandalous.”
Government response slammed
Jane wrote a letter to the then-women’s health minister, Maree Todd, last year pleading for the government to intervene.
But she says the response received from a government officer left her feeling ignored.
In the three-page letter, seen by us, the author notes Jane “mentioned that you have had thoughts of taking your own life”.
She attaches links to phone services for people suffering from depression and anxiety.
Jane said: “I poured my heart out in a letter and waited a month for a response.
“The reply was the most condescending letter I’ve ever had. It basically said they can’t get involved in individual cases.
“They even had a cheek to send me a list of their waiting times targets and they’d already missed every single one.
“I’ve never felt so small in my entire life. At that stage I basically just gave up and thought what is the point of this.”
Resilience and determination
Mr Marra described hearing his constituent’s case as “heartbreaking”.
He said: “Her resilience and determination to keep fighting for care, not just for her but for the many women she believes may be facing similar circumstances, is humbling.
“She is embarrassed at the very personal nature of her condition and she is desperate not to be talked about in public.
“To overcome those fears, even with this anonymity, is a feat in itself but one she should not have to meet.”
We asked NHS Fife to explain why Jane had been placed on a routine waiting list given the long and complex history of her case.
It refused to comment, saying it is unable to do so on matters relating to the care of individual patients “for reasons of confidentiality”.
NHS admits other patients affected
NHS Tayside confirmed a “very small number” of patients have been referred out of area as a result of “temporary staffing issues”.
The Scottish Government’s review into mesh implants delivered three alternative surgical options for treatment.
These are urethral bulking, laparoscopic colposuspension and, the option chosen by Jane, a fascial sling.
NHS Tayside said: “All patients waiting in Tayside were contacted to advise of the treatment options and to arrange a review as required.
“Due to temporary staffing issues, NHS Tayside is currently not able to provide fascial sling procedures which are highly specialised.
“Therefore a very small number of patients who chose this option are being referred out of area for this treatment.
“We understand this is upsetting for the patients affected and we apologise for this.”
The health board confirmed it has responded directly to Mr Marra’s letter about Jane’s treatment.
A spokeswoman added: “A telephone appointment with a consultant is being arranged so that the patient can discuss their treatment options in Tayside.”
Government says sorry
After being contacted by The Courier, the Scottish Government issued a statement apologising to Jane.
A spokesman said: “Excessively long waits are never acceptable and we will follow up with NHS Tayside as a matter of urgency on this case.
“Clearly the Scottish Government has no direct involvement in individual patient care, however boards have a clear understanding of our expectations for the delivery of safe patient care.
“We understand the board has set out they are engaged with the patient in question.
“We apologise to the patient for her experience she has set out and the impact this has had on her quality of life.”
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