Why must I travel 40-miles for stomach op? (AUDIO)
IRAQ war veteran Dan Hooper cannot have stomach-reduction surgery at the hospital on his doorstep – after becoming the latest loser in the NHS postcode lottery.
The 47-year-old is being penalised because he lives in Clayton and not in Stoke-on-Trent.
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Dan Hooper
So far 10 city patients have had the surgery at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire courtesy of NHS Stoke-on-Trent since September.
But patients in Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands who come under the jurisdiction of NHS North Staffordshire must travel 40 miles to Walsall for the treatment.
Now the father-of-two – who was in the first wave of soldiers to serve in Iraq after the 2003 invasion – says he is determined to win his battle for surgery at Hartshill.
The row comes as The Sentinel has already reported different waiting times for fertility, speech therapy, drug rehab, psychology, incontinence and substance abuse between the two trusts.
Dan, who weighs 27 stone and 6lbs, said today: “My health trust wants to send me to a hospital in Walsall but I am pointblank refusing when I know a better service doing the same surgery has just started at the North Staffs 0.6 of a mile from my home.
“People in Stoke-on-Trent are already going to the University Hospital because their health trust is allowing it and I fail to understand why I can’t have it here as well.
“It is plain dogma by my own health trust stopping me and it goes totally against the right of choice that the Government is supposed to have given all patients.”
The treatment delay has robbed Territorial Army medic Dan of the chance to tour Afghanistan next month.
But he says he would be going if he had the operation when experts first diagnosed him “a perfect candidate” for it 18 months ago.
Since then he has piled on the stones despite a 2,000 calories-a-day diet.
He also has diabetes which is so out of control his insulin needs to be increased by an alarming 10 per cent a week.
Dan, who is unable to exercise after a serious knee injury playing rugby also has high blood pressure and sleep apnea. His health has got so bad he cannot stand for longer than 20 minutes some days and leaves him struggling to do his job as an occupational health manager at Bentley Motors, in Crewe.
“It’s a vicious circle,” he said. “I can’t exercise so even though I stick to my diet and eat healthily I still gain weight. The only answer is this operation which the surgeon says will help me drop 10 stone and that will start to sort my other conditions out. This is not about vanity – it’s about quality of life and even preserving life itself.
“I want the op at the University Hospital because I am already under its specialists; because it can be done as keyhole surgery so avoiding enormous risks; and because I am convinced about the place’s safety record.
“I cannot be as sure about Walsall because despite asking for a clinical audit report of it under the Freedom of Information Act, I have not received one – it’s all like an episode of Yes Minister.”
NHS North Staffordshire is not sending patients to Hartshill because the department is not a properly designated centre for the surgery.
Marcus Warnes, deputy director of commissioning at NHS North Staffordshire, said: “Bariatric surgery is a specialised service and, in line with the NHS Operating Framework, we only commission this for patients meeting the criteria at designated centres which, in the West Midlands, are Walsall Manor Hospital Trust and Heart of England NHS Trust, Birmingham.
“We are fully committed to ensuring patient choice but, in a minority of cases, specialist services are required and patient choice can be restricted by the location of designated centres. In recognising this, we are currently looking at designated centres outside the West Midlands that may be available to increase the choice to patients. We wish to provide a more local service and have asked that bariatric services are among the first to be designated in the area during 2009.”
38 Comments
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by Bevo, hanley
Friday, February 20 2009, 4:36PM
“its alright you putting your point in about walsall having a bad report of cleanliness and everything else as your excuse to travling to walsall for your op but if you aint been there you dont know what it is like mr khan and his team are very good and thourough and the after care is amazing so it seems to me that it is the travling thats the issue and you cant be bothered i had mine done in jan 09 and i am very happy get a grip of yourself and stop complaining BEVO stoke on trent”
by dave walker, crewe
Friday, February 20 2009, 12:01PM
“Reducing the capacity of your stomach can be avoided by eating less clearly 2000 calories is to much although I am sure his intake has been nearer to 2 million calories at times.. Whilst he says he is unable to exercise it is likely the heavy load is to much for a normal knee. There are other types of exercise besides rugby that will not worsen his knee. The sooner he sorts himself out the better as a health worker what example is he showing his patients.”
by sue, fegg hayes
Friday, February 20 2009, 10:03AM
“forgot to say i had my operation done keyhole at walsall,the sister on the ward told the surgeon i was really afraid of being cut open so they talked to the local pct and they allowed me to have the keyhole ,please at 27 stone you really need help go get it done the care is fantastic ,40 miles is nothing to the improvement it will make to you .As for how clean the hospital is the 4 days i was there the ward was cleaned every couple of hoursand i was there when they failed the report yet i never saw any signs of dirt in fact its the cleanest i have ever seen a hospital ward ,from the cleaners to the sister swan ward were Mr khans team work is fantastic .Go get it done stop whinning it will turn your life around”
by Miguel, Next to a hospital
Thursday, February 19 2009, 7:27PM
“I have known you for many years "Desperate Dan" and you have always had a weight problem. Surely, your so called Health and Safety experience would influence you to get this op done as quickly as possible. Stop your whingeing, get off your your backside and travel the measly 40 miles. If that's too much then leave room for some other worthy taxpayer to have their op and who will be extremely grateful.”
by katie, stoke
Thursday, February 19 2009, 1:10PM
“i cant believe this guy has made headlines, he has been given a chance to correct his ever expanding waistline which looks as though he has eatan all of the TA.
You have cancer patients who cannot get access to the herceptin drug and you have this greedy guy who is moaning his bag off about been given a choice, i hope her reads these comments and should feel very guilty”
by sue, fegg hayes
Thursday, February 19 2009, 12:33PM
“I had my gastric bypass at wallsal in october last year ,not only was it clean but the staff were fantastic ,shame i could not have it here but Mr Khans team are brilliant and my life as improved so much i would have travelled to the moon to feel as good as i feel to today,dont jugde walsall by what you read about it as every one who had their operation there who i know no one as a bad thing to say about the treatment they recieved .Hope you get your operation and it improves your live as much as it as mine ,good luck”
by WM, Stoke
Thursday, February 19 2009, 8:53AM
“I'm flattered you're so obsessed with my comments Andy. It seems you rarely post without sending your love these days. <3”
by Steve, Alsager
Thursday, February 19 2009, 8:09AM
“I cannot believe that distance is an issue when Dan travels a similar distance to Bentley motors every day for his work.”
by tina, stoke
Wednesday, February 18 2009, 7:03PM
“Steve I am from stoke and had to go to Walsall Stoke for the op was a no no Wasnt even referred to Stoke straight to walsall”
by Lorna, Staffs Moorlands
Wednesday, February 18 2009, 6:34PM
“I too have been referred to Walsall and should be having my op some time this half of 2009. I am glad I'm going to Walsall because it is a centre of excellence for bariatric surgery, Mr Khan the surgeon has done hundreds, of these ops, the hospital carries out probably 20-30 of these ops a month. Mr Khan actually prefers to do laproscopic but North Staffordshire PCT doesn't fund laproscopic in alot of cases. I would far rather go to a team of people who have done hundreds of these than where they've done 10 of the ops in 5 months...
Dan, there are several of us on here hailing the work at Walsall and how lovely the team is. It might be worth a visit? Good luck whatever you do.”