Diary of Delays

June 2000 - Diagnosed August 2000 - Radiotherapy, Cheltenham Hospital January 2001 - Dr Wrench concerned March 2001 - Referred to Birmingham specialists August 2001 - Case deemed urgent 19 October, 2001 - Operation due

Powell Jones's GP says, because of the delay, what would have been a simple operation has now turned into major surgery.

The health authority has said it is very concerned about Mr Jones's case, and it has launched a full inquiry.

In March, doctors agreed he needed a complex operation to remove part of his face within days - but Mr Jones has still not been operated on.

It has taken three months to arrive at a 19 October date for surgery and his GP has claimed a catalogue of errors and delays has worsened his patient's condition.

'Death risk'

Dr James Wrench said: "He is a typical farmer, who started out with one of the easiest forms of cancer to treat.

"Years down the line, he is at a very high risk of dying from cancer."

He blamed "the inherent delays of referral systems in the NHS" and service providers who "decide not to provide intensive care beds for the operations."

Dr James Wrench said his patient risked death

"He is one of the silent majority," he added. "People who come in from a road traffic accident cannot wait - neither can he.

"This is a black-and-white case, unlike hip replacement or hernias."

After being diagnosed in June 2000, Mr Jones was sent for radiotherapy in Cheltenham, but by January 2001 his doctor was becoming increasingly concerned the treatment was not working.

'Held up'

In March, he was referred to specialists at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

In August, they recommended he undergo the crucial 14-hour operation to his face within days. But Mr Jones has been held up by an apparent lack of intensive care beds.

He has now been given an operation date, but fears this, too, could be stalled.

Mr Jones said: "I can feel it getting worse, and I'm not hearing anything week after week.

I can feel it getting worse - I wonder whether it's too late

Powell Jones

"I wonder whether it's going to be too late."

News of NHS delays will not be welcomed by a government which has pledged to bring down waiting list times for operations.

Macmillan cancer nurse Dyfanwen Jones, who visits Mr Jones at his farm in Hay-on-Wye, called the 15-month delay "disgraceful."

Last month new Welsh health figures showed the number of people waiting to see a hospital consultant for the first time had more than doubled since Labour's election in 1997.

The length of waiting times also dramatically increased.

Minister 'sorry'

In a statement, Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt said she was "sorry" to learn of Mr Jones's case.

For the last 17 months, the patient has travelled to his doctor's surgery every other day to discover whether a date has been set for his much-needed operation.

His health worries, however, are compounded by financial concerns.

A farmer who has had dubious fortuity enough not to contract foot-and-mouth disease, he has not received any compensation but has found his ability to sell sheep compounded by government restrictions.

In 2000, a Cancer Research Campaign report found instances of cancer-related deaths in rural areas were higher than elsewhere.