 Mr Robinson's operation has been rescheduled |
A musician who was due to have an urgent bladder operation has received an apology after being told just hours before he was due to go into hospital surgery could not go ahead because doctors were in an audit meeting. Martin Robinson from Llanelltyd near Dolgellau discovered he had tumours which might be cancerous six weeks ago after suffering abdominal pains.
The 61-year-old cellist, who is married with two young children, was due to be admitted to Wrexham Maelor Hospital to have the tumours removed on Wednesday.
But when he made a routine phone call to the hospital to check bed availability the admissions clerk told him there was no anaesthetist available because they were all at an audit meeting.
 |  She mumbled something about an audit and that I would receive a new letter with a new date  |
"I was told the operation had to be cancelled," says Mr Robinson.
"She mumbled something about an audit and that I would receive a new letter with a new date.
"I was very upset and went for a long drive up the mountain to think - the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't believe it.
"I had tuned myself up for this. The clerk told me she wasn't told this meeting was going to happen.
"Three other operations were also cancelled," he added
He said that he had not received a written apology from the hospital despite receiving a letter offering him another appointment next week.
Mr Robinson described the whole episode as a "bureaucratic cock-up" and said that he will now have to mentally prepare himself once again for the operation.
He will not know until after the tumours are removed whether they are malignant or not.
'No operating list'
North East Wales Trust , which runs Wrexham Maelor Hospital, has apologised to Mr Robinson for the mix-up.
"Mr Robinson was inadvertently booked for surgery on a day when no operating list was scheduled to take place," said Andy Scotson, a spokesman for the trust.
 The delay was blamed on an administrative error |
"This date is one of a number set aside during the year for clinical audit work, where medical and other staff gather to review recent cases and research work that has been taking place within the trust.
"Unfortunately the clerk responsible for the booking of patients for theatre was not aware that an audit session was to take place this afternoon.
"The fact that Mr Robinson had been called in for surgery only came to light when Mr Robinson contacted the ward to confirm that a bed would be available for his admission.
He said the trust was reviewing its systems for communicating when audit sessions were planned to make sure such and error does not happen again.
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