A man has been told delays to his urgent surgery are because there are so many bank holidays in May and they can “only see him on a Monday”.
The Welsh NHS is currently really struggling with overcrowding, underfunding, staff shortages and chronic procedure backlogs dating back well before the pandemic. This man's experience is not unique but he wants to tell his story to shine a light this “utter madness” that thousands of people in Wales are facing navigating a health service that is creaking at the seams.
In November last year, 59-year-old Neil Williams from Sarn, Bridgend lost his wife to a brain tumour. By his own admission and quite understandably he went into a post-bereavement depression. He shortly started experiencing chest and stomach pains. He went to A&E and after three weeks in hospital and extensive tests he was diagnosed with needing a heart valve replacement or repair.
