NHS Grampian is finally starting to carry out delayed breast reconstructions for women left waiting years for the surgery, the P&J can reveal.
Surgeons have performed a “small number” of the procedures in the past few weeks, and further operations are planned next month.
It comes after the P&J uncovered long delays facing women who had mastectomies to remove breast cancer, but were forced to wait years for reconstruction surgery.
We revealed in October how Denise Rothnie, 34, from Inverurie, hadn’t moved up the NHS list despite waiting more than three years.
She was just 29 when she was hit with a breast cancer diagnosis in December 2020, as the country grappled with the Covid lockdown.
Several women came forward in the weeks that followed sharing similar harrowing experiences and opening up about the impact on their mental health.
Christy Esslemont, from Aberdeen, is trying to take her fight to Holyrood.Â
And Naomi Mearns, from Stonehaven, was even forced to spend around £30,000 and go private for the surgery after feeling no end was in sight.
‘Step in the right direction’
Ms Rothnie, who has recovered from breast cancer, told the P&J it is “finally a step in the right direction”.
She said “I feel like Covid was four or five years ago now and it’s still affecting the health service.
“It’s about time that things got back to normal.”
Although Ms Rothnie is yet to hear anything about her own surgery date, she is glad the health board are prioritising people who have waited longest.
She said: “I heard of people waiting a bit longer than me. It’s good to hear they are finally getting the ball rolling.”
In a statement, an NHS Grampian spokesman said:Â “We have undertaken a small number of delayed breast reconstruction surgeries in the last few weeks, with further operations planned for next month.
“Where patients are fit and available, we are prioritising those who have faced the longest waits.
“We absolutely acknowledge that a number of patients have waited vastly longer than we would have liked for their reconstructive surgery and the impact this has on their day-to-day lives.
“We’d like to take this opportunity to apologise publicly to each of them.
“While we are pleased to once again undertaking these surgeries, it will take some time to tackle the backlog of patients waiting.”
What led to the delays?
During the pandemic, some breast cancer patients were not able to get an immediate reconstruction at the same time as their initial crucial operation.
This affected patients across Scotland as health boards dealt with backlogs built up over Covid.
But surgical capacity remains “challenged” at NHS Grampian where patients are still prioritised based on immediate clinical need.
The spokesman added: “Breast reconstruction operations usually take in excess of 12 hours to complete and require a large amount of staff and theatre provisions, which we are currently unable to provide due to a need to prioritise demand elsewhere.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said £30 million is being spent in planned care to treat patients awaiting risk-reducing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction.
“Following initial discussions with health boards, we are now developing proposals to ensure those who have already waited too long are treated as quickly as possible whilst we develop a sustainable model for the future,” she added.
“In the immediate term, the planned care guidance for 2025-26 reiterates to boards that waits for these patients must be addressed.”
Read more:Â
Conversation