‘I was left in agony after cancer surgery - but hospital staff wouldn’t help’
Patient at under-fire NHS hospital details horror treatment
- A cancer patient, Zoe, 38, experienced prolonged, excruciating pain at Salford Royal Hospital after kidney cancer surgery due to inadequate pain relief.
- She only received appropriate medication hours later, following the intervention of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector visiting the hospital.
- Salford Royal Hospital, operated by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) Foundation Trust, received a formal CQC warning (Section 29a notice) for severe staff shortages in its surgery department.
- CQC inspectors found surgical patients faced delays in receiving critical medication, were left in pain, and noted issues such as urine bottles accumulating on wards.
- The trust is also investigating the death of a patient who did not receive pain relief for hours, and MP Rebecca Long Bailey has raised concerns about staff welfare.