SHIRLEY’S ORDEAL AS NHS PROBES 139 EYE OPS
MORE than 130 patients who underwent cataract operations at Wales’ largest hospital have been contacted after several experienced major complications.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board brought in a private company called Strategic Healthcare Solutions (SHS) to help with a backlog of procedures at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW).
After the firm carried out surgery on 139 patients, at least 14 are now being reviewed by the health board’s consultant ophthalmologists and seven have needed further treatment.
The health board has now stopped working with the company and has logged this with the Welsh Government as a “serious incident review”.
Grandmother Shirley Galea, from Splott, Cardiff, needed a cataract removed from her left eye at UHW on Sunday, September 23.
But the 75-year-old experienced terrible pain for several days following the operation and has had double vision ever since.
On Sunday, September 30, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board called Shirley back into the hospital to tell her that the procedure had not gone as planned.
She was allegedly told that the lens the doctors inserted was too big and too strong, and that the membrane in the back of her eye had been severed which may cause her permanent damage.
“It’s like I’ve got spiders walking along the top of my eye,” said Shirley, describing what her vision is currently like.
“I’ve got constant double vision. I used to go to bingo and to the shops all the time, but after the operation I can only go as far as the corner shop and that’s it.
“And even then I have to ask the shopkeeper to take the correct change out of my purse because I can’t see it.
“It doesn’t help either when I have my grandchildren come over on the weekend. They are showing me all their comics and telling me ‘look at that’ – but I can’t. It’s so upsetting.”
Shirley, who has six grandchildren, said the diabetic clinic referred her to the University Hospital of Wales for the cataract procedure.
“It took nearly a year before they saw me,” she added.
“They cancelled twice or three times, sometimes the day before I was meant to have the surgery.”
On the day of the cataract removal, she said two other patients were having the same procedure as her at the same time.
“My daughter had her cataracts done a couple of months before me, and she said she was in there about 45 minutes at the most,” Shirley added.
“When I came out after the surgery and looked at the clock I realised I’d been in there for two hours. I didn’t think that was right.
“The doctors didn’t say anything to me afterwards. They just said ‘thank you’ and that was it.”
But Shirley said she felt like she was “having a brain haemorrhage” hours after the procedure had been carried out and spent the night vomiting.
“I was called back in a week later and I was told there had been complications. I couldn’t understand it. The surgeon didn’t say anything to me at the time.”
Shirley’s son Joseph Galea said: “They are sending my mum to a hospital in Bristol now because they think her eyesight could actually get worse.”
He added: “She’s in limbo. Her quality of life now is just appalling.”
Widow Shirley is now seeing her optician regularly and had a meeting on Friday with five doctors employed by the health board.
There are fears her vision could deteriorate further as a result of the operation and the family said they are now considering seeking compensation for what has happened.
A spokeswoman for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “The health board has proactively stopped working with a commercial company following concerns raised by clinical colleagues.
“All patients operated on by the company have been contacted and where patients have raised concerns we have brought them back to be reviewed.
“Of the 139 patients operated on, 14 patients are being monitored and will be reviewed by the health board consultants ophthalmologists in a special clinic over the next two weeks. Seven of whom have required further treatment.
“In all of these cases where we have found concerns we have informed the patients proactively. We have apologised to all of those concerned.
“Both the executive nurse director, Ruth Walker, and Dr Graham Shortland, executive medical director, have actively met with the company and shared the outcomes for patients to inform the company’s internal governance processes.
“In line with our own governance we have shared this incident with Welsh Government.”
The Echo has attempted to contact Strategic Healthcare Solutions (SHS), based in the West Midlands, for comment.