Asbestos cancer operation cancelled 48 times

After having his appointment cancelled 48 times in a row, cancer patient Dennis Burke said the NHS was a shambles.

Mr Burke, 68, who is in remission from bowel cancer, spent 14 months trying to get a consultation after his GP referred him to hospital: "What's the point in my GP telling me to go to hospital if I can't get an appointment? I have had to put up with 48 appointments with an NHS doctor being cancelled in a row. It is a disgrace."

Mr Burke, who also has a degenerative spine condition and an asbestos related cancer, said the fiasco proved the system was failing. He added: "I paid taxes in the belief that when I needed help from the NHS and the state, it would be there. But it isn't. They blame patients for not turning up to hospital but the main reason people are missing appointments is because of the inefficient booking system."

Mr Burke has received a letter apologising for the cancellations and blaming "difficulties with a new appointments system."

Scarborough NHS Trust said: "Mr Burke has complained and it is being looked into."

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