Late NHS surgery letter left woman £13,500 out of pocket for private operation
Wendy Worth, 62, spent £13,500 of her inheritance on private heart surgery after a letter giving her an NHS operation date failed to arrive. The letter reached her three days after her procedure, meaning she had paid for treatment that was due to be available on the NHS.
The second-class letter was dated 9 July and offered surgery on 3 August, but arrived nine days late, after Worth had her operation on 22 July at Gloucester Royal Hospital. She said tests showed her left ventricle was almost completely blocked and she feared waiting without news; the private procedure was performed at the same NHS-run hospital by NHS doctors. Royal Mail said it was looking into her experience, while Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre called for an apology.
- A delayed NHS letter arrived after Worth paid £13,500 for surgery.
- The letter offered a free operation date three days after her private procedure.
- Royal Mail says it is looking into her experience.
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The NHS is the UK’s publicly funded health service, which provides hospital care without patients paying the full cost at the point of treatment. Patients may wait for planned operations, and hospitals send letters to offer appointments or surgery dates.
Wendy Worth needed heart surgery after tests found a severe blockage. She chose to pay for a private operation at Gloucester Royal Hospital, which is run by the NHS, and the surgery was carried out by NHS doctors. The case raises questions about how patients are told when NHS treatment is available and who bears the cost if that information arrives late.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Royal Mail delays forced mother-of-two to spend £13,500 inheritance on private heart surgery… because the NHS letter offering op arrived late”.