Man who could ‘lose foot’ languishes on eight year waiting list

AFTER having already spent 24 months on a waiting list, a former Greencastle man with an ‘urgent’ dermatology referral has been told he will have to wait another six years to see a consultant.

Brian H – who says he is ‘too embarrassed’ about his skin condition to use his full name – first made contact with his GP back in 2021, an appointment that resulted in a misdiagnosis of psoriasis.

A year later, after spending 12 months taking the medicine prescribed to him and altering his diet as suggested, he was examined by a different GP, who ruled out the original diagnosis.

“I told him I thought it was probably rose gardener disease (sporotrichosis) and he agreed with me. I was given an urgent referral to see a consultant. A year later, I had still heard nothing,” said Brian.

The 47-year-old’s condition has yet to be confirmed. However, his symptoms match the description of rose gardener disease – an infection that be caused by an unremoved thorn prick.

“I had been doing a lot of outdoor work in Madagascar and other places in Africa, which is where I think I picked it up.

“It started in my foot and then spread to my arms, which are now covered in lesions. They’re sore and itchy.

“Recently, I went back to the GP again, for the third time in as many years, and they told me to ring the clinic where I had been referred.

“After a lot of ringing, I finally got through to somebody in Causeway Clinic, who told me that, yes, they had received my referral, that it was marked ‘urgent’, and that I would be able to see a consultant in six and a half years.

“I almost dropped the phone. I had heard no mention of a waiting list for the first two years, then they tell me it’s going to be six and a half more.

“I was really annoyed. I was sitting waiting on a call for two full years, when I should have been looking for private treatment. And all awhile, not only were things not getting better, my condition was getting worse.”

Brian then explained the seriousness of his symptoms, which could eventually result in the loss of digits, hands, feet and limbs.

“It’s awful, to be honest. I can’t sleep because of the itching. I can’t walk properly because of the pain. It looks absolutely terrible; when everybody else was out in their t-shirts over the summer, I was walking about in a jumper and people were asking, ‘Are you not roasting?’

“I am covered in lesions, socially anxious and depressed. Then, on top of all that, I am embarrassed to speak about it.”

‘Can’t focus on work’

To compound matters, Brian said that he will be stepping away from his work, which he loves, from November.

“I am a marine biologist with a well-paid government job working for the fisheries. But, when my contract is up next month, I’ll be going on the sick. Mostly because I can’t focus on my work because I am not sleeping and in pain.”

Brian concluded, “I was put on an eight year waiting list and not told about it. I was sitting almost a decade away from any prospective consultation and nobody thought to tell me. During that time, my quality of life life was being badly impacted by my condition. It’s absolutely disgraceful.”

The HSCNI website claims that the average waiting time in the Northern Trust for a Dermatology Outpatient appointment is 55 weeks. The same source states that the Dermatology Treatment waiting lists sits at 23 weeks.

When contacted for a comment on Brian’s situation and the general state of dermatology waiting lists, a spokesperson from the Northern Trust said, “Demand for dermatology services has continued to grow and how we meet this presents a challenge for us.

“We sincerely apologise for the lengthy wait and accept that it is not the level of service we would want to deliver. We prioritise all referrals to the service based on the immediate clinical needs of the patient.

“We are fully committed to providing the highest standards of timely care and are engaged in ongoing regional work with commissioners about dermatology services.”