Grandfather is latest patient given three-year wait for hospital appointment
A grandfather has become the latest county patient given a near three-year wait for a hospital appointment.
Andrew Jones, 61, from Ditton Priors near Bridgnorth, said he was "gobsmacked" at the date of the urology appointment with Shrewsbury & Telford NHS Trust (SaTH) – in June 2025.
Mr Jones, a cancer-survivor, said that when the letter arrived on Saturday he thought the date was a mistake, but later that afternoon he read a Shropshire Star report detailing the similar wait for the 16-year-old at the same department.
Mr Jones said his appointment is just 30 minutes after the one described in the report.
It comes as an NHS campaigner has described the situation as "unacceptable," warning "we are seeing the destruction of the NHS in real time".
Mr Jones, who five years ago underwent major treatment for cancer and is now recovered, said that his appointment was not for a 'life threatening problem', but that he does suffer discomfort.
He added that his medical history meant he was more keen to get checked out – but now faces a wait of nearly three years to be seen.
He said: "I got the letter this Saturday morning. I opened it and said to my partner 'this has got to be a typo, it has got to be 2023'.
"I said I will ring them on Monday and said 'this has to be a typo here' and then by coincidence I saw the story in Shropshire Star about the lad and it is only 30 minutes after his.
"My partner said 'there are not a lot of things that stump you' but for a few minutes I was lost for words.
Mr Jones added: "It is beyond belief really.
"I knew the NHS is in a state but I did not think it was that bad."
Gill George from Shropshire Defend Our NHS said the extreme delays were a major concern.
She said: "It is clearly absolutely appalling. Completely unacceptable. The trust leaders should hang their heads in shame but so should local MPs because accountability for the state of the local NHS ultimately lies with them."
Asked to comment on the delay SaTH referred the Shropshire Star to a statement issued in relation to the 16-year-old's delay reported on Saturday.
In it, Sheila Fryer, Interim Deputy Chief Operating Officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (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 you that we are doing everything we can, alongside partners, to reduce the amount of time patients are waiting for an appointment.
“Recruitment challenges in Urology and the significant pressure due to the continued impact of COVID have led to the delays. We are working to recover as quickly as we can – we are in the process of contacting patients who have been waiting a long time for a Urology appointment. This is to ensure our lists are as accurate as possible and we can avoid offering appointments that are no longer required.
“We are also working with other healthcare providers to see if they can support the reduction of waiting times at SaTH. We recognise that the current waits are not acceptable.”
