Latest news with #StJamesHospital
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Patient had to wait 169 days for ‘urgent' appointment at Mater Hospital breast cancer clinic
Almost one in four women who require an 'urgent' appointment at a breast cancer clinic are not seen within the target timeframe, new figures show. On Wednesday, the Irish Cancer Society published new data showing delays in access to testing and treatment of cancer in the State. The urgent symptomatic breast disease clinics aim to see 95 per cent of patients within 10 working days. However, between March 2024 and February 2025, only 76.3 per cent of patients received their appointment within this recommended timeframe. There was also significant variation between hospitals. The lowest compliance was found at the Mater Hospital in Dublin , with just 28.9 per cent of patients seen in this time, followed by St James's Hospital at 54.5 per cent and Letterkenny University Hospital, Co Donegal , at 59.8 per cent. READ MORE Some hospitals had very high compliance, with University Hospital Waterford seeing 100 per cent of patients within the target timeframe, followed by Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, at 99.7 per cent, and University Hospital Limerick at 97.7 per cent. According to the data, the longest waiting time in the 11 months up to February 2025 was found in the Mater Hospital, where one patient waited for 169 days. A spokeswoman for the Mater Hospital said its mammography service is facing 'significant capacity constraints due to high demand and a lack of funding'. 'The hospital has submitted a comprehensive business case requesting additional staffing and resources to support the demands on the service and to reduce any delays, including in surveillance mammography,' the spokeswoman said. The Irish Cancer Society data also provided insights into Rapid Access Prostate Clinics, which have a target timeframe of seeing 90 per cent of patients within 20 working days. Nationally, between March 2024 and February 2025, only 74.2 per cent of patients received their appointment within this recommended timeframe. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men. If it is diagnosed at stage one, almost all men will survive. If diagnosed at stage four, only half survive. The lowest target timeframe compliance was found at Galway University Hospital where 12.7 per cent of patients received their appointment within the timeframe, followed by St Vincent's Hospital at 74.4 per cent and Cork University Hospital at 82.8 per cent. The highest compliance was found at Beaumont Hospital (100 per cent), followed by the Mater Hospital (99.4 per cent) and St James's Hospital (95.9 per cent). Timely access to the Rapid Access Lung Clinic was better, with 93.7 per cent of patients accessing their first appointment within the target time of 10 working days. Averil Power, chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society, said early treatment 'dramatically reduces your risk of dying from cancer'. The figures highlight 'alarming failures' to meet the targets in many cancer centres due to shortages of 'staff, physical space and equipment'. She added that the society increasingly hears that, while appointments are being provided within the timeline, in some cases all diagnostic testing is not conducted that day, meaning there can be delays to diagnosis. [ Irish Cancer Society calls for breast cancer screening to be lowered to 45 Opens in new window ] Dr Michael McCarthy, president of the Irish Society of Medical Oncology, and consultant medical oncologist at University Hospital Galway, said he sees the 'human cost of the postcode lottery in Irish cancer care every day'. 'Once chemotherapy is prescribed, the National Cancer Strategy states that it should start within 15 working days. The reality in Galway is that patients are now typically waiting seven to eight weeks for their first session,' he said. 'With every week that passes, the risk increases that their cancer will grow, or worse that it will spread to other parts of their body.' A HSE spokeswoman said cancer survival is improving. Rising referrals and increasing complexity of care 'are placing significant demand on existing services, as evidenced by performance data of some cancer services'. She said €20 million has been allocated for new cancer services in 2025 and 2026.
BreakingNews.ie
02-07-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
People in rural communities travellling hours to be tested for STIs because of stigma, doctor says
Members of the public in rural communities are travelling for many hours to reduce the risk of being seen getting tested or treated for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Consultant of Sexual Health and HIV Care at St James's Hospital in Dublin, Dr Aisling Loy, told The Pat Kenny show on Newstalk that 'stigma and shame' around sexually transmitted diseases are very much still hindering her work. Advertisement 'It (the stigma and shame) is probably a bit less than it was in the 1980s and the 1990s, but there is still a lot of shame. 'I work in Dublin, but I think outside of Dublin, especially, I would have patients who travel for many, many hours to come to a clinic in Dublin, so not to be seen locally. 'I hear those stories every day of shame and stigma still attached [to STIs].' STI figures in Ireland are 31 per cent higher than they were in 2019. However, the numbers decreased by 11 per cent in a twelve month period last year. Advertisement Dr Loy said that the figures peaked in 2023. 'Thankfully, over the last two years, the strategy and the interventions that have been in place have started to see a decline. 'So far this year, we've seen 15 to 20 per cent decreases - so, that's the good news. 'However, overall, it's been increasing; we don't know fully why. Advertisement 'We think there's more access to care with free online testing services that are available. 'We know that people are now maybe taking more risks; they're not using condoms as much. 'They're maybe having more sexual partners and we've had a rise in our population as well - so, there's many factors.' Dr Loy continued that the expansion of easy access to sexual health care will significantly assist healthcare professionals in reducing the number of people contracting STIs. Advertisement 'That's really important, for people to be able to test and access treatment if they need it,' she said. 'So, the thing that they noticed was that with the 23 free clinics that the HSE provides, there's still 10 counties in Ireland that don't provide any sexual health services in their counties. 'So, it's all about expansion of services and making access to care more accessible to not just young people, but the full population.' Dr Loy added that there has been a 'lot of progress on HIV' in recent years. 'The group that should be targeted are being targeted with messaging online and public health campaigns,' she said. 'That's mostly in the GBMSM (gay, bisexual, men who have sex with men) community. 'And we have PReP, which is HIV prevention, which was introduced in Ireland in 2019. We also 'test and treat', so as soon as people are diagnosed, they're on treatment. This means that they can't pass it on.'
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Bride-to-be, 28, whose cancer was dismissed as acid reflux says she 'laughed in disbelief' when doctors said she had a year to live – and now vows to spend final months with her toddler son
Six short months ago, as the nights were drawing in and her neighbours started putting up their Christmas decorations, Georgia-Leigh Gardiner had a lot to look forward to. Picking a dress for her rapidly approaching wedding, getting prepped for a business degree and, most importantly, spending quality time with her two-year-old son Arlo before he headed off to nursery. But a devastating doctor's appointment on Friday June 13 changed all of that. A year of stomach aches had resulted in dramatic weight loss, 18kg in fact, but Georgia-Leigh was repeatedly told by her GP and local hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, to relax and take a few lansoprazole. Now, after one doctor spotted a lump and decided to book her in for scans, the mother, 28, was being told the life-shattering news she had poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma, an aggressive form of stomach cancer. Even worse, it had spread to the peritoneum and was incurable. Georgia-Leigh's first reaction at the meeting at St James's University Hospital was to laugh in abject disbelief at the doctor's words, before turning to her soon-to-be husband Callum and mutter: 'Are they actually being serious?' Her partner had turned a shade of green and, after a few seconds allowed the revelation to sink in, she herself started to cry and rushed out of the room before she had a full-blown panic attack. Two weeks on and Georgia-Leigh is relentlessly scanning the market for treatment options, bolstered by a flying Gofundme, but told MailOnline she remains 'angry' at Leeds's failure to take her case seriously. 'When they gave me my diagnosis, I went through a stage of being upset,' she said. 'Then I got quite angry because when we researched into this type of gastric cancer, it can go from stage one to four in a matter of months. 'So my initial thoughts were, "maybe if they did the test they needed to do at the time then they could have caught it at an earlier stage, when it wasn't incurable, when it hadn't spread". 'I wasn't getting any answers and I was still losing weight. It was making me lethargic, I was in constant pain and I couldn't eat. I was being sick so my quality of life was not good and I wasn't being taken seriously. 'I don't know if that's because of my age. If somebody older would have gone in with the same things I was experiencing, they might have been taken more seriously at the start.' Early visits to her GP and Leeds General Infirmary complaining of diminished appetite saw her persistently rebuffed, even when blood scans raised a few minor issues. Soon she was struggling to keep food or water down, leaving her in constant pain and shedding pounds at an alarming speed. But all it takes is one doctor to listen to your case. Unfortunately, when Georgia-Leigh found her woman, it was too late. Georgia-Leigh is realistic about her chances in a battle against cancer and some of the money raised in a Gofundme will go towards making memories with little Arlo She said: 'When I was going to the hospital, they were sending me home. It was impossible. 'It wasn't until the good GP surgeon sent me to the non-specific symptoms pathway [that her case was fast-tracked]. I took her a card to say, "thank you for taking me seriously". Because it was awful and I was really ill, and no one would listen. 'I was going through all the emotions.' The doctor had noticed a lump on her breast and although some scans at the breast clinic came back OK, she was sent to Bradford for more tests. An endoscopy raised some initial concerns before a CT scan confirmed the worst. Georgia-Leigh's thoughts soon crystallised after her initial delirious reaction and she has been going to a wellness centre which boasts oxygen chambers. She has also been in conversation with St James's, who she praises for their response to the diagnosis. Her options have been bolstered by the £7,230 which has flown into her GoFundMe in just three weeks. The mother's unusual case has made her eligible for a clinical trial through the NHS, while the Hallwang Clinic in Germany has emerged as an, albeit expensive, option offering drugs and treatment unavailable in the UK. But Georgia-Leigh is stoically realistic about her chances in a battle against cancer and some of the money will go towards making memories with little Arlo while she still has the time. 'I just did not ever expect to be diagnosed with cancer,' she said. 'It's like an out of body experience. 'My goal is to live as long as I can be honest. Obviously cancer hasn't got a cure so, being realistic about it, I need to also be making as many memories and taking as many photos as possible with my two year old. 'I don't ever want him to forget who I am. 'I want to see him grow up and get married but if that's not an option, I want him to be able to look back and see all these memories, even if he doesn't physically remember them, at least he's got them in front of him.' The mother is unfussy about the destination of the big family holiday, as long as the three are all together and putting adversity to the back of their minds. She said: 'We were supposed to be getting married in Italy, me and my fiance, because it's beautiful. I've never been. It's on my bucket list and obviously we're having to bring the wedding forward. 'I'd just be happy anywhere with my family, to be honest, with no cares in the world, and enjoying the quality time with them someplace. 'I could sit and watch the sun with them for hours.' Georgia-Leigh has been pressing on with plans for a memorable wedding day in September, despite also getting ready to start chemotherapy in the coming weeks. 'There's a charity that we're in talks with called the Wedding Wishing Well,' she said. They make dream weddings happen for people who get diagnosed with a terminal illness that have a short life expectancy. 'I've got my dress. It's beautiful, classic and royal, but it's not too slick. It's a romantic style dress. And definitely ivory, not white.' In the meantime, friends have been rallying around the young cancer sufferer, not just by pouring money into her fundraiser but also by organising events themselves. One has even arranged a ladies night ballroom in her honour, with 200 tickets being snapped up in no time. 'It is very overwhelming, because I wasn't expecting so much support from it, to be honest,' Georgia-Leigh added. 'But I feel like I can fight this fight until I can't anymore.' Representing St James's University Hospital, Dr Magnus Harrison, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals said: 'We are sorry to hear about Georgia's experience and would like to support her with this. 'We would ask her to contact our PALS service so that we can work with her directly and understand what has happened.' MailOnline has approached Leeds General Infirmary for comment.
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
‘They saved my life': Trinity St James's Cancer Institute is recognised for care, research and education
Dubliner Niamh Walsh was working as a cook in a creche in April last year when she noticed her left leg was about 4cm wider than her right one. She had no other symptoms and when her GP referred her to the city's St James's Hospital she did not think anything was wrong. Following an ultrasound, she was told she had a mass of around 28cm in her pelvic area. Ms Walsh was diagnosed with ependymoma of the ovary – an extremely rare type of ovarian tumour. READ MORE She underwent an eight-hour open surgery, chemotherapy and, 11 weeks ago, had a preventive hysterectomy, in which her uterus was removed to reduce the chance of the cancer returning. 'I'm an only child, so this was a really big time for my parents being told out of the blue last year that their daughter has a really rare form of cancer that requires extreme operations and chemo after,' Ms Walsh (30) said. The diagnosis was a shock to her, too, she said. She is now trying to process everything she's been through over the past year. 'Still to this day, I cry about it,' she says. 'If I hadn't had that hysterectomy I could have heard it was back in the other ovary. I'm a very anxious person and the last thing I wanted was to be told the cancer was back.' On Wednesday, the Trinity St James's Cancer Institute (TSJCI) announced it has become the first cancer unit in Ireland to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre – a specialised institution recognised for advanced research and a broad range of cancer services. The Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) decided the Dublin base met or exceeded robust standards in cancer care, research and education. Prof Maeve Lowery, academic director of the TSJCI, said this designation would allow the hospital to bring improvements in patient-centred care. 'This carries an international weight. So it's about international benchmarking recognised across Europe and the US that shows certain standards of integration of academic activities like research, education, with clinical care. The real goal of it is to achieve more treatment options, better treatment options for patients,' she said. Prof Lowery said the hope was this designation would provide greater access for patients to novel treatments and clinical trials, an area in which Ireland had traditionally been viewed as lagging behind. 'It's the big issue within Ireland at the moment, there's a lot of disparity. The patients we treat here – we're a public hospital – and our patients are among the lowest socio-economic in the country. So it's really important that in the public system we're providing the best we can in terms of novel treatment,' she said. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the announcement marks a 'significant advancement' in cancer care for Ireland. 'Comprehensive cancer centres like TSJCI bring an additional focus on research and training which can expand the treatment options available for patients now and into the future,' she said. This is particularly true for patients such as Ms Walsh, who have rarer forms of cancer and for whom the diagnosis can feel devastating. If it were not for the kindness from the team of clinicians who treated her, Ms Walsh said she 'wouldn't have gotten through it'. 'My type of cancer, if I hadn't have had that operation when I did, it would have spread. This hospital saved my life,' she said. 'After this whole thing, I'm seeing a different side to myself. I used to be a very shy person, but now I'm trying to get out there. I'm trying to just enjoy life, because you've got to enjoy it while we can.'
The Guardian
20-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Two Leeds hospitals' maternity services rated inadequate over safety risks
The care of women and babies at two Leeds hospitals presents a significant risk to their safety, the NHS regulator has said, after the preventable deaths of dozens of newborns. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) demanded urgent improvements to maternity services at Leeds general infirmary and St James's hospital as it downgraded them to 'inadequate'. A BBC investigation this year found that the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers may have been preventable at the two hospitals between January 2019 and July 2024. The hospitals, run by Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, are the latest to be engulfed by a maternity scandal that has revealed catastrophic failings in Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Telford, Morecambe Bay, east Kent and others. The downgrading of maternity and neonatal services in Leeds follows unannounced inspections by the CQC in December and January. Ann Ford, a director of operations at the CQC, said it had received concerns from staff, patients and families about safety and staffing levels at the two hospitals. She said: 'During the inspection the concerns were substantiated, and this posed a significant risk to the safety of women, people using these services, and their babies as the staff shortages impacted on the timeliness of the care and support they received.' Inspectors found dirty areas on the maternity wards of both hospitals, unsafe storage of medicines, a 'blame culture' that left staff unwilling to raise concerns, and short-staffed units. On the neonatal wards, which care for the most vulnerable newborns, the CQC found they were understaffed and infants needing special care were being transported unsafely from one hospital to another. A freedom of information request by the BBC revealed in January that the NHS trust had identified at least 56 baby deaths that may have been preventable from January 2019 to July 2024, made up of 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths, which are deaths within 28 days after birth. In each case, a trust review group had identified care issues it considered may have made a difference to the outcome for babies. Sir Julian Hartley, the head of the CQC, was the chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust for 10 years until January 2023, meaning he was in charge when many of the preventable deaths took place. The parents of a newborn girl who died after multiple failings at Leeds general infirmary in January 2020 questioned the CQC's ability to carry out an independent inspection, given Hartley's previous role. The regulator said it has 'robust policies in place to manage any conflict of interest'. Prof Phil Wood, the chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, said: 'These reports have highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity and neonatal services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver these improvements.' He said the trust was improving whistleblowing procedures for staff and had recruited 55 midwives, leaving it 11 short of the national target. Wood added: 'I want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care.'
