A deaf man has blasted a NHS hospitals trust after doctors almost removed his testicle when he complained of a benign cyst without an interpreter present.
Staff at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital had wrongly believed that Andrew Wiley, 47, was begging to have testicle surgery during his consultation where he relied on lip reading and written responses to communicate.
Mr Wiley wasn’t aware of the potential risks of the operation until he saw a surgeon this month with an interpreter present.
The NHS has a legal responsibility to ensure those with disabilities are catered for during appointments and procedures.
KentOnline reports hospital bosses have said they are ‘deeply sorry’ for the distress they caused and have admitted standards were not met.
Mr Wiley’s first appointment to discuss a painful but benign cyst on his testicle occured in February and his wife Amanda, 50, had requested an interpreter be made available.
However during the consultation there was no interpreter present.
Mr Wiley told KentOnline: ‘There were two doctors in the room. I was trying to lip-read, but it was really difficult as he had an accent.
‘I was trying to explain to him how much pain I was in. It was difficult and I felt rushed.’
Mr Wiley asked the doctor if removing the testicle would be easiest course of action.
Replying in the affirmative, the doctor then put Mr Wiley down for the procedure without going into any further details.
Mr Wiley continued: ‘Did he explain to me the risks or complications like bleeding and so on? No, he did not.
‘He didn’t give me choices either, or even if he did, he didn’t explain it properly for me to understand.
‘I felt fobbed off. It seemed like he wanted me to leave.’
The painful cyst resulted in Mr Wiley missing out on work as a freelance support worker for other deaf people.
When Mr Wiley returned to the hospital for the procedure, he was finally informed of the risks of the procedure and was stunned.
He said: ‘It was just lack of communication, him saying I was begging for testicle removal and not explaining to me about the risks and the complications.
‘He knew talking to me would be pointless.
‘It makes me very angry. I’ve been let down,’ he said.
‘My issues would have been sorted out sooner if I was not deaf.
‘I would have been understood and treated quicker.’
Sarah Hayes, the chief nursing officer at East Kent Hospitals said: ‘We are deeply sorry that Mr Wiley faced such difficulty at his appointment and for the distress this caused.
‘We are committed to ensuring effective communication with our patients and Mr Wiley’s experience fell below the standard we would expect.’
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John James
