Ovarian cancer patient writes to Swinney to highlight ‘severe’ surgery delays

An ovarian cancer patient has spoken out about “severe delays” in treatment for the disease – revealing she was forced to rely on family and friends to raise £40,000 so she could have private surgery in London.

Irene Hartshorn, 70, from Ayr, has written an open letter to First Minister John Swinney to call on the Scottish Government to “urgently review surgery provision nationally” for the disease.

Claiming she felt “disregarded and unsupported” by the NHS in Scotland, she said there are “unacceptable delays in accessing surgery”.

She said: “There are 600 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in Scotland and many of us face severe delays in getting the treatment we desperately need because of where we live.”

Ms Hartshorn and others have now demanded the Scottish Government takes “action to improve access to surgery in the west of Scotland.”

Ms Hartshorn said access to the right treatment “is vital to improving chances of surviving ovarian cancer”, she added that a survey by the charity Target Ovarian Cancer had found more than two-fifths (44%) had experienced a delay in getting surgery, with 22% saying they had to wait eight weeks or more.

Speaking during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Ms Hartshorn recalled: “My experience was traumatic. I’d waited months for a correct diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and then I faced an indefinite amount of time for my surgery to be scheduled.

“I felt disregarded and unsupported by the Scottish health system. No-one was taking responsibility of my treatment. I was expected to accept my fate.

“At a complete loss, I told my friends and family, who together raised £40,000 to fund my surgery privately in London.”

She said without this help from loved ones, she would either be “still in the waiting game, or dead”.

But she added: “Many of us cannot afford to pay huge amounts of money for private treatment, so we either must advocate for ourselves or wait it out.”

Her comments came as a petition was launched on the Target Ovarian Cancer website calling on the Scottish Government to act.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I was very sorry to hear the concerns raised by Ms Hartshorn over treatment delays and wish her well in her recovery.

“Scheduling surgery for ovarian cancer can be challenging as it involves several medical specialties.

“Health boards are simplifying scheduling, increasing dedicated theatre capacity and improving working and training across surgical teams. This has already and will continue to reduce waiting times for ovarian cancer surgery.”