Harborne grandad's cancer op cancelled four times

Noel Brown said for each operation he self-isolated and went through pre-op procedures at the hospital before it was cancelled

A man whose lung cancer operation has been cancelled four times said he was worried the delays were affecting his chances of survival.

Noel Brown, from Harborne, Birmingham, was diagnosed in May, and told that removing part of his lung may mean he would not need chemotherapy.

The 70-year-old said the repeated cancellations had been very upsetting.

The NHS trust running Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital apologised and said it has experienced "extreme pressures".

"You hear so much about it is all a 'matter of time', how quick you catch it and remove it and it's just not happening," Mr Brown said.

"I have got a granddaughter's birthday coming up."

University Hospitals Birmingham has seen more Covid-19 patients over the pandemic than any other hospital trust in England

An operation was first scheduled at the QE on 4 August but, after self-isolating and going through pre-operation procedures at the hospital, he was told the surgery had been cancelled.

The operation was cancelled a further three times and Mr Brown said he was told on one occasion by the surgical team they were incredibly frustrated by the situation.

New date

"It is upsetting to see the staff running around, working so hard and them having to come and tell you it is not going to happen, it just seems unfair they should even have to tell you that," he said.

Mr Brown said he has been given a fifth date for his surgery later in September.

His daughter Carly Ward said the cancellations had been stressful for her and her family. 

"I think it's just the thought of losing my dad. It is just the fact that this could have been sorted," she said.

"When he first got diagnosed, obviously we were really panicked, but they told us he had a good chance and that chance is just going."

Carly Ward said her father's cancelled operations had badly affected the family

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) said staff understood the distress and anxiety the cancellations had caused Mr Brown.

They added a combination of busy emergency departments, staffing challenges and a rise in Covid admissions had increased pressure on the trust.

UHB said it had faced more Covid cases than any other hospital trust in England, which had had "an unavoidable impact on all trust services", but it said a recovery plan was in place for cancer care.

Cancer charity Macmillan said Mr Brown's case was not unique and urged the government to invest more in cancer services.

Elaine Wilson, from the charity, said: "A long-term investment plan is needed to clear the backlog caused by Covid-19 and ensure everybody who is diagnosed with cancer receives the care they need."

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Data released on Thursday show the number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high.

At the end of July, 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment, according to figures from NHS England.

They came the day after Boris Johnson's plan to try to tackle the huge backlog of patients awaiting treatment and operations by raising National Insurance was approved by members of Parliament.