NI health: Cancer patient's plea to fix health system from hospital bed

A seriously ill patient at Craigavon Area Hospital has made a public appeal from her hospital bed for Northern Ireland's health service to be given more resources.

Colette Terris, 62, from County Armagh, called for politicians to unite to help ease problems as the health system continues to come under pressure.

Ms Terris has an incurable form of cancer.

Complications recently led to her lower body being paralysed.

She said the full extent of her condition could have been diagnosed earlier but there was a delay in an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan being carried out over the Christmas period.

The Southern Health Trust has acknowledged that there are some days when scanning is not available in Craigavon and has apologised for added distress that can cause patients.

Although Ms Terris believed there should have been better scanning provision she praised the doctors and nurses who have been involved in her treatment.

"I have nothing but utter admiration for the nurses and the doctors," she said.

"They have looked after me, they have fed me, they have changed my nappies. That's not an easy thing to talk about."

Colette Terris - pictured with her daughter Emer - has paralysis of her lower body

Speaking from her hospital bed, in an interview conducted online, Ms Terris explained why she had contacted BBC News NI to share her story.

"I have a serious condition and I am not likely to be around for a long time," she said.

"These things are not impossible to fix. Get your fingers out and change something for the higher good of the vast majority of people.

"The people that I elected, I want them to do business and I want them to get on with it.

"Let's face it, if the health service was privatised I wouldn't be getting treatment - we wouldn't be having this conversation because I'd be dead."

Asked about the recent strike by nurses, she said she supported the industrial action and would be on the picket line herself if she could get out of bed.

'Just mind-blowing'

Ms Terris is a retired yoga teacher and led an active life before being struck by illness in recent years.

She was diagnosed in 2018 with multiple myeloma, which is an incurable disease.

At Christmas last year her pain level became acute and she was taken into hospital in Craigavon.

There were fears, she said, of a spinal cord compression but an MRI scan could not be carried out within 24 hours.

It was another four days, she said, before it took place.

Colette - pictured with her daughter Emer on Christmas Day, before she had to be taken to hospital - says she is an awe of healthcare staff

"Had I been able to have an MRI, where would I be today? Probably in a very different space," Ms Terris said.

"No doctor should be in a position where they have to tell somebody that they can't have an MRI even though they need one within 24 hours to reduce the risk of them losing the power of their legs.

"Or worse, end up dead because they can't have an MRI because it's the weekend or it's a bank holiday or there's no emergency MRI.

"It's just mind-blowing."

Why is the health service struggling for cash?

Northern Ireland's Department for Health gets about half of Stormont's £14bn budget for public services.

There has been a long series of independent reports suggesting the transformation of services to use that money more effectively but little political action.

This week there was a warning that public services provided by Northern Ireland Executive departments face cuts of at least £500m in the new financial year.

Part of the reason for the falling budget was the need to bring forward about £330m to this financial year to deal with an overspend.

"The MRI service in Craigavon Area Hospital is operational at weekends (Saturdays and Sundays from 09:00 until 17:00) but does not include bank holidays," a Southern Health Trust spokesperson said.

"We sincerely apologise for the added distress this can cause patients and families.

"Whilst we are unable to comment on any individual patient, we take all concerns about the care we provide extremely seriously.

"We recognise that this is a very difficult time for the family and continue to work closely with them."

Ms Terris insisted her complaint was about the system and not the staff at the hospital.

"I'm in absolute awe and admiration of the care that they give."