Teen’s hospital appointment... for June 2025

A TEENAGER who was referred for hospital checks has been given an appointment by a scandal-hit NHS trust – in June 2025.

The boy’s father said he was astonished after Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) confirmed that the date in the letter was not a typing error.

His 16-year-old son was referred to the hospital trust for assessment of a urology-related problem – but will be 18 when the day of his appointment comes around in 951 days.

SaTH, where the NHS’s worst maternity scandal took place in which 201 babies and nine mothers died over two decades, has apologised and said it recognises ‘that the current waits are not acceptable’.

It explained that recruitment issues and pressure due to the ‘continued impact of Covid’ have led to delays.

The boy’s father said of the appointment letter: ‘I thought it was a typo and was going to ask, “Do you mean 2023?” We were expecting a nine-month wait would be on par for where we thought the NHS was with waiting lists.

‘Speaking to the person in the booking office, she said, “Yes, we have fielded a lot of these calls, particularly for urology”.’

He told his local newspaper that the family could not afford to go private and were left dismayed at the wait for his son to be seen over an issue which causes him considerable discomfort.

He said: ‘His life is not in danger but it is a sensitive problem and he is 16 years old... We were anticipating, almost accepting that it would be a few months. But to be told it is 951 days – over two and a half years – I was just incredulous.’

Shrewsbury Liberal Demcrat councillor Alex Wagner said the situation was a ‘damning example of the quality of the [NHS] service in Shropshire’. Sheila Fryer, interim deputy chief operating officer at SaTH, said: ‘ We would like to apologise for the wait for a urology appointment.

‘This length of delay is rare and we would like to reassure [the family] that we are doing everything we can, alongside partners, to reduce the amount of time patients are waiting for an appointment.’ She added: ‘We are also working with other healthcare providers to see if they can support the reduction of waiting times.’

‘In considerable discomfort’