Delay treating patient more than likely advanced his prostate cancer, report says
BBCDelays in treating a patient with an aggressive form of prostate cancer more than likely contributed to his disease advancing, a health watchdog has said.
Emlyn Williams should have begun treatment within 62 days of being diagnosed but had to wait 225 for a specialist PET scan before he could start.
He told the BBC there seemed to be "no urgency" to treat him at the time. Michelle Morris, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, said the delay had created an "enduring injustice for him and his family".
The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board apologised for the "unacceptable delays" and said it planned to create a centre of excellence for prostate tests in North Wales.
Getty ImagesIn her latest report, Morris said men with prostate cancer had been failed by the NHS in North Wales for almost a decade.
In Williams' case, he waited almost four times longer than he should have done to begin treatment.
Morris wrote: "On the balance of probabilities, these delays more likely than not contributed to [his] cancer being more advanced. The uncertainty this creates will sadly be an enduring injustice for [him] and his family."
The 72-year-old, from Amlwch on Anglesey, had a routine blood test for the disease in 2023 and was told in early 2024 it was an aggressive form.
The ombudsman's report said he should have had a PSMA PET scan - an advanced imaging test that identifies cancer cells - within 62 days of his diagnosis.
When he finally had one in May 2024, it confirmed the cancer had already spread to his bones and lymph nodes.
He has since been told it is incurable but he is being treated to control its spread.
"It was obvious there was a finite window of time to sort it," Williams said.
"You feel very exposed when you get a diagnosis of cancer and you think you can rely on the doctors and the specialists.
"But these people didn't seem to see the urgency."
Williams' case is now the fourth report by the ombudsman in nine years raising concerns about prostate cancer treatment in the region.
Morris said: "It is bitterly disappointing to be reporting once again on failings in the same area.
"In previous reports, we urged the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to fully commit to change and improvement so that men would not need to bring similar concerns to my office again.
"Previous recommendations have not been fully complied with, and the health board's own improvement plan - agreed with the Royal College of Surgeons - has not been completed.
"A majority of the actions remain outstanding."
Carol Shillabeer, the health board's CEO, said: "We apologise for the unacceptable delays in this patient's diagnostics and treatment and fully accept the ombudsman's findings in this case.
"We will continue to progress these improvements at pace.
"We have already developed a business case to transform our services and this is now being considered by Welsh Government.
"Should we be successful, it would start the process of creating a centre of excellence, with two gamma cameras and one of only three static PET-CT scanners in Wales."