Women in Tayside who faced “scandalous” years-long waits for life-changing surgery have been told their ordeals will finally end in a matter of weeks after their stories appeared in The Courier.
A total of 12 patients were left stranded on a waiting list after being informed they must be sent to other health board areas for help.
The only surgeon in the region qualified to perform a fascial sling procedure, which treats female stress urinary incontinence, is currently signed off on long-term leave.
Now the entire group has now been told they will instead be referred to private healthcare providers.
Decade-long wait
We revealed how one Dundee woman was informed she would need to return to the back of the queue despite already waiting more than eight years for a procedure to address a lower pelvic prolapse.
The despondent patient described how she feared her time on the list could extend to more than a decade after initially being told she would need to wait up to 50 weeks for a routine appointment in Fife.
Jane, whose name was changed to protect her anonymity, said the “humiliating” condition left her feeling suicidal after dealing with incontinence, being unable to exercise or walk down her own street on some days.
I spoke with @stooshiescot podcast about the heartbreaking story of my constituent who has been waiting nearly 9 years for surgery. It has had a dreadful impact on her life.
This is a harrowing failure of government and brutal proof of systemic failures in women's healthcare. pic.twitter.com/BUy5oUONFW
— Michael Marra MSP (@michaeljmarra) May 18, 2023
She spoke of fears for her marriage after struggling to be intimate with her husband for nearly 10 years.
Jane has now been told her procedure will be carried out in Edinburgh before the end of July.
Her case was raised at the Scottish Parliament by North East MSP Michael Marra.
Massive relief
Jane said: “It’s a massive relief but I just want the letter in my hand telling me exactly when it’s going to happen now.
“After everything I’ve been through and all the disappointments, that’s when it will finally feel real.
“I want to thank Michael and his team, and The Courier, for all their hard work. I would not be in this position right now if it wasn’t for their fight to get this done.
“I never wanted to cause a fuss. I didn’t want it to be like this at all.
“But when you come to the end of your tether, there’s nothing else you can do.
“As a result of the story being in the press, they finally had to deal with it.”
Why was the treatment delayed?
Treatment for some of the women was initially delayed by the Scottish Government-commissioned review of transvaginal mesh procedures in 2015.
A fascial sling is one of a number of non-mesh procedures introduced when treatment recommenced six years later.
READ MORE: Our NHS waiting times trackers reveal pressure across services
We revealed a second woman, who lives in Broughty Ferry, felt her quality of life was “of no consequence” after being left waiting five years for the treatment.
She described how the condition left her scared to leave the house and feeling humiliated at having to wear incontinence pads.
She has also been told her procedure will be carried out before the end of July.
‘Real questions’ to answer
Mr Marra, who took on her case after we reported the story, said: “It is very welcome news that these women are finally set to receive the care they need.
“I am relieved that the backlog is to be cleared and these 12 women will be able to get back to – and in some cases rebuild – their lives.
“It should never have needed them to speak in the press and go public with some of the most personal, difficult experiences imaginable.
“There are still real questions about the way in which these cases were handled and how the health board and Scottish Government plan to prevent the waiting list building again and how we deliver this care sustainably.”
NHS Tayside responds
NHS Tayside said: “Our clinical teams are continuing to focus on reducing waiting times for patients and this means, in some cases, patients are referred to a healthcare provider in the independent sector to have their procedure carried out.
“These arrangements are in place across all health boards for a range of treatments and this includes fascial sling procedures for Tayside patients.”
Conversation