Susan
Stephen’s 42-year-old wife, Susan, died after delays and poor gynaecology care provided at Cardiff and Vale Health Board.
Initially, there was a two-month delay in the GP referral. Then another doctor from the same practice referred her as USC (urgent suspected cancer). This was downgraded by the consultant without any consultation with either the doctor or Susan.
Stephen said she then went on a “merry-go-round of tests, consultations, emergency admissions” and “it was clear nobody had a grip on what was happening”.
Susan did not have a care plan and there was no communication with the consultant. Even after making four complaints, nothing was done.
Eventually, nine months later, another consultant intervened and carried out a hysterectomy within days of meeting Susan and reviewing her treatment.
Numerous people at Cardiff and Vale Health Board who were treating her apologised to both Susan and Stephen about what they had been through, including the consultant who intervened, recognising that mistakes had been made, the standard of care wasn’t acceptable, and delays had been incurred as a result.
After the operation, Susan was put on a screening program and nine months later they found she had developed an aggressive cancer on her lung. She died six weeks later.
Afterwards, Stephen complained to the Health Board and had an appalling experience. He says, “I didn’t get their initial response for twelve months because they lost her medical records. They insisted the complaint was handled separately and the alleged failings against the GP were looked at independently from the failings against the health board – thus defusing any blame.” They commissioned a report but it didn’t answer the questions Stephen had raised. He was passed from pillar to post between the Ombudsman, Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW), NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), and the GMC.
In the end, after 5 years of hell, Stephen says he “gave up. Not because I had any form of justice but because I couldn’t face the battle anymore.”
Stephen believes there was undoubtedly a cover up, knowing that they could all see that Susan’s care was poor and he had demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that significant delays were incurred. Despite this, he says the health board always leaned in favour of the doctor and the consultant.
“There is an appallingly poor lack of accountability in the NHS when things go wrong,” Stephen said.
“I have been left a widow at just 41 years of age and I have no faith that anyone had any form of disciplinary or any meaningful lessons learnt were implemented.”
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