Woman’s X-ray results wait ‘clearly unacceptable’, says health boss

A vulnerable woman’s lengthy wait for X-ray results has been called “clearly unacceptable” by a health board boss.

Monmouthshire councillor David Evans spoke of his concern for his wife who has still not received results from a chest X-ray taken seven weeks ago at Chepstow Community Hospital.

Cllr Evans said his wife is “struggling to breathe” and that she suffers from panic attacks.

“Seven weeks and we still have not had any result on a chest X-ray,” the Caldicot councillor said at an adults select committee meeting on Monday.

“We have rung up on two or three occasions [and been told] you will have to wait.

“That’s worrying when the person – it is my wife – she is struggling to breathe and she gets panic attacks.”

Nick Wood, executive director of primary community care and mental health services at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, vowed to look into the case after the meeting.

“Clearly a seven week wait is unacceptable,” Mr Wood said.

While the health board has reduced the time it takes for people to wait for a diagnostic, Mr Wood said further work is needed to lower the time it takes to interpret results.

Mr Wood said the health board is aware the wait is currently “too lengthy” and that it is “actively trying to improve it.”

Leanne Watkins, programme director for clinical futures at the health board, said the issue was part of a UK-wide problem, caused by a lack of radiologists.
However a new training programme has been set up in Wales to help address the shortage, the meeting heard.

Cllr Roger Harris said he was also aware of lengthy waits for X-ray results at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, and that he is still awaiting the results of a foot X-ray taken a month ago.

He added: “It must be costing the health service vast amounts of extra money because late diagnosis means more problems than early diagnosis usually.”

The Abergavenny councillor said that he sympathised with the issues faced by the health board, and said more staff were needed across the health service.