The family of a young West Lothian mum with terminal cancer say she has been “utterly let down by the NHS”.
Rachel Kennedy’s dad said his daughter “never stood a chance” due to delays caused by the pandemic and hit out after it was revealed she discovered she had the disease three months after a GP left a voicemail on her broken mobile phone asking her to come in for an internal examination.
Robert MacIntyre said there had been a number of missed opportunities to ensure Rachel had a better prognosis, adding he hoped no other family would ever have to go through what they have.
And he said he is “so angry” that the NHS has now rejected a last hope immunotherapy treatment, despite her doctors recommending it.
Rachel, a mum-of-two from East Whitburn,
had experienced abnormal bleeding in June 2020 but she wasn’t referred to St John’s Hospital to have her symptoms fully investigated until five months later.
She had asked for a GP appointment to discuss her symptoms but was offered a telephone consultation due to Covid.
Two months later in August 2020 after experiencing another bleed, she was given an appointment with a doctor at Blackridge Health Centre.
The Daily Record reported that at her appointment she was tested for STIs and days after her physical examination, her GP left a voicemail on her mobile phone asking the mum to come in for an internal examination – but Rachel’s device was broken and she never received the message.
No attempt at a follow-up call was made by the doctor’s practice.
Three months passed by, and after another irregular bleed, she was given the devastating diagnosis that she had stage three cervical cancer.
Her dad believes if his daughter had been seen by a doctor when she first experienced bleeding, her prognosis would be more manageable.
And he told the Courier the eight-week wait his daughter faced for treatment after her diagnosis – a waiting time he said was within NHS targets – is simply unacceptable and needs to change.
Robert continued: “Rachel is facing what no woman should ever have to face.
“I’m so angry, I actually feel quite irrational about it all.
“We feel Rachel has been utterly let down by the NHS and she never stood a chance from the start.
“There needs to be a change in the system, where an eight-week wait for treatment is seen as an allowable time.
“We want to raise awareness so no other woman has to go through this.”
Rachel’s family remained hopeful after she completed her fifth round of chemo in June and was told her tumour had shrunk.
But two weeks ago she was rushed to A&E at St John’s with pains in her left lung and it has been discovered the cancer has spread to her lungs and her liver.
Rachel has now been given just months to live.
Over £65,000 has been raised for Rachel since she was diagnosed and she is currently receiving private treatment at The Rutherford Centre for Immunotherapy in Newcastle.
The family has also written to health bosses to appeal their decision on refusing immunotherapy treatment for Rachel in the hope of giving her more time with her boys Lewis (6) and Jude (4).
Robert says Rachel wants others to learn from her situation and has urged anyone who thinks something doesn’t feel right to get checked and not take no for an answer.
Rachel has been documenting her progress since the beginning of her diagnosis on her Facebook page, Be the Queen of your own castle.
Dr Tracey Gillies, medical director, NHS Lothian, said: “I would like to express our sympathy and apologise for the distress Ms Kennedy and her family are experiencing at this difficult time. We would urge Ms Kennedy or her family to contact us to discuss any aspects of her care.”
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