Latest news with #QVH
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'I was too fat for NHS cancer surgery appointment'
A woman diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer has told the BBC the NHS said her Body Mass Index (BMI) was too high to discuss Winfield, 44, from Hailsham in East Sussex, was diagnosed in 2024 and is currently undergoing treatment. She had been referred to the Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in East Grinstead to discuss reconstruction options if she were to decide on a mastectomy but said she was "essentially... too fat for them even to speak to me".The hospital trust said it aimed to "treat every patient with respect and empathy" and was sorry Ms Winfield felt disappointed. Ms Winfield, who has a BMI of 36, said: "My expectation was that QVH was going to talk to me about what the reconstruction options were."However, she said she was told "we can't see you because your BMI is too high... and obviously that was upsetting."Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of cancer, which blocks the lymph vessels in the breasts, causing them to become red and "can develop quickly" and "in general, the outlook for this type of cancer is worse than for other types of breast cancer", according to Cancer Winfield said: "It's quite a rare and serious type of cancer - there's a 50% chance I'll be here in five years."She said if patients were overweight "then help them to lose weight, give them that support if they want a reconstruction rather than just cut off options for people". 'This is a disgrace' Ms Winfield received an apology after complaining to QVH but said: "Every patient should be treated with kindness and empathy within the NHS."They treated me like a subhuman based on an unscientific BMI number. This is a disgrace." Louise Grimsdell, senior clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Now, said: "Women with breast cancer need to be provided with clear information, and have all suitable options discussed with them."Some people may be advised not to have breast reconstruction, and this may be for a number of reasons, including having a high body mass index (BMI). "Women who are advised not to have reconstruction, or to have delayed reconstruction due to their BMI, should receive clear explanations about the reasons for this." A spokesperson for QVH said: "We aim to treat every patient with respect and empathy and we are sorry that Ms Winfield felt disappointed."To undergo complex breast reconstruction at QVH, patients need to fulfil certain medical criteria, including being non-smokers and having a body mass index (BMI) below 35. "This is because post-operative complications increase dramatically for patients with a higher BMI, which can also compromise further cancer treatment such as chemo or radiotherapy."The hospital said a safer option would be to have mastectomy surgery, take time to recover, and then consider breast reconstruction as a delayed procedure. The hospital also said it offered a "prehabilitation programme" to help patients lose weight and improve fitness prior to elective said it was investigating Miss Winfield's experience "fully" and had offered her an appointment to discuss her concerns with a breast reconstruction consultant, or, if she preferred, an urgent referral to another hospital for a second opinion.
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'Worrying rise in dog attacks on children', says Sussex surgeon
Health officials in West Sussex have reported a concerning rise in the number of children being treated for dog-related injuries. The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in East Grinstead, which specialises in reconstructive surgery, said it was having to deploy more resources to treat children bitten by dogs. Siva Kumar, consultant surgeon at the QVH, told the BBC the rise in dog attacks was mainly affecting adults, but there had been a "worrying" increase in the number of paediatric cases since the Covid pandemic. He said more cases involved head and neck injuries, especially in children under five due to their size and because they tend to put their faces near dogs. 'Attacks are preventable' Mr Kumar said a "really important" public health message was that a large majority of dog bites were preventable. "We need to educate both kids and parents that if there is a dog that they're not familiar with, just be careful and mindful," he added. Mr Kumar also urged people to ensure dogs were "well supervised". Dog attacks recorded by police in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex have risen 38% since 2018, according to figures. Offences where a dog was dangerously out of control causing injury to a person or guide dog rose to 2,884 in 2023 from 2,083 in 2018. Ownership has grown, in parallel. The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals estimated there were some 11 million dogs in the UK in 2023 - up 8% in one year.
