Betsi Cadwaladr: Anger as hospital failings leave woman ill

A man whose wife was left with health and mobility problems after surgery says he has no confidence in his local health board.

His comments come after a report on his wife's care found Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) failed to provide the "expected level of care" after her appendix was removed.

"It could have all been avoided," the man from Colwyn Bay, Conwy, who asked not to be named, said.

BCUHB admitted failings and apologised.

The woman, who was 52 at the time, went on to suffer a cardiac arrest, which the report says might have been avoided if she had received "appropriate care".

It also found there had been a failure to identify the underlying cause of her breathing difficulties, as well as a failure to "recognise signs" that her condition was deteriorating, and said there had been "a missed opportunity" to remove her appendix in 2017.

"She will never be a fit woman again," the man said.

The report says the events took a "considerable" toll on the woman's physical and mental wellbeing, and that she had been left with health and mobility problems "she would not have expected to have to cope with in her 50s and which may significantly limit her quality of life for years to come".

The woman's husband "suffered significant injustice through the distress he experienced during his wife's admission and afterwards", the report also says.

The public services ombudsman for Wales, which published the report, recommended BCUHB apologise to the couple and pay them £10,000 "to reflect the serious injustices arising from the missed CT colonography finding in 2017 and the poor post-operative care in 2019".

It also said the report should be shared with the consultants "for the purposes of reflection and discussion", and "appropriate learning points shared with relevant clinical teams".

The man said he has had to cash in pensions to help him care for his wife, adding he did not think there will be any change at the health board, and that he had seen no improvements on subsequent visits to the hospital.

"We hope they learn from this case but hold out little hope," he said.

"I am sceptical that anything will be done with the recommendations. When my wife has had to go in, [since 2019] she is still left in the waiting room struggling for breath.

"There's something so wrong with the health service," he said.

He added his wife, who is now 56, was still waiting for further operations to rectify the two hernias she was left with from her operations.

Carol Shillabeer, BCUHB's interim chief executive, said: "Clearly, we fell short of the standard that should be expected, and on behalf of the Board I wish to wholeheartedly apologise for the failings in the care provided."

She said a direct letter of apology would be sent to the couple.

"We are committed to learn from their experience," Ms Shillabeer added.

"We accept all of the ombudsman's recommendations and are taking key steps to address the issues as part of our efforts to improve services."