Triple hernia patient told too late to operate after waiting two years for an operation during Covid

• Report by Granada Reports correspondent Mel Barham

A dairy farmer says he feels 'lost' and 'depressed' after being told it is now too late for an operation - after a two year wait.

Winston Baldwin, 73, developed a triple hernia following bowel surgery in 2019.

He was supposed to have an operation to fix it in late 2019 but it was delayed, before the Covid pandemic pushed the wait back further.

But, after more than two years of desperation, he sought help from a top surgeon at a private hospital in London, who has now told him they cannot operate on him as the hernia is so advanced the operation could kill him.

Mr Baldwin, from Crewe, says his surgeon told him: "The chances are your lungs will get crushed and you'll be on a respirator for the rest of your life.

"When they reset my diaphragm, there's also a strong risk of an infection.

"It's an 80% chance that I'd lose my life.

"I don't like living like this, I don't like being like this, but I don't want to die."

He added: "I'm lost, depressed, I suppose it is a time of depression, where your ambitions have just been swept away.

"I am condemned to be like this. This is my sentence. And that's it.

"I'm half the man I was, I feel left behind, and let down."

Mr Baldwin's case is not unique - NHS figures show the number of people waiting for hospital treatment in England has exceeded seven million for the first time, the highest number since records began.

More than a million of those are in the North West, according to health care comparison site, healthcompare.

Winston believes delays caused by Covid are the reason he is now in this position.

"If I'd have been done sooner, much sooner in 2019 or early 2020," he said, "we wouldn't be having this conversation.

"They could have done it sooner. They had a 90-day window to do it in 2019 and early 2020 before Covid struck.

"And it wasn't as big then, but it grew during 2020. Hence I've got this large brace on me now which I have to wear.

"It's a form of neglect "

What is a hernia?

A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall.

A hernia usually develops between your chest and hips and can cause a swelling or lump in your tummy (abdomen) or groin.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust says: "We are unable to comment in detail about individual patients due to confidentiality reasons but would like to emphasise that we take any issues raised regarding a patient's care very seriously."

Meanwhile a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know the NHS faces a challenging winter, which is why we’re working at speed to cut waiting times, boost capacity and ensure patients get the right care at the right time.

“We are reducing the Covid backlogs and have virtually eliminated waits of more than two years for treatment thanks to our community diagnostic centres, which have delivered over two million additional checks and are based in accessible locations such as shopping centres and football stadiums.”

Health Compare which is a health and care service comparison website, is urging patients to check if they could get their treatment quicker at another hospital.

Patients have the legal right to have free NHS treatment at an NHS or private hospital of their choice. The website Health Compare can help patients compare waiting lists at different hospitals, which might be able to speed up their wait for treatment if patients are willing to travel further afield.

Dr Arun Ghosh, a GP from Liverpool explains patients rights and gives advice on how people can try and get NHS treatment quicker: