A FORMER councillor from Coventry, has filed a complaint over “unacceptable” delays in receiving MRI scan results from George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.
Brian Patton, who represented Henley Ward from 1997 to 2008, told the Observer his concerns about the extended waiting period for his knee scan, saying that the prolonged delay is exacerbating his pain and reliance on medication.
Brian underwent an MRI scan on his right knee on June 13, 2024 and at the time of the scan, was informed there would be an 11-week wait for results.
In following weeks, however, he received conflicting updates: first a 13-week, then a 19-week wait, and most recently a notice that the wait time had extended to 22 weeks.
According to the hospital, Brian’s scan is now slated for review starting November 14, 2024.
In his formal complaint to the hospital, he voiced frustration with the delay: “My knee is not getting any better, in fact it is getting worse, leaving me to take more and more painkillers.”
He told The Observer he is dissatisfied with what he perceives as barriers in communicating with hospital staff, including issues in recording messages on voicemail and difficulties in filing a complaint through the hospital’s website.
Responding to his complaint, the George Eliot Hospital’s Radiology team acknowledged the delays and attributed them to significant reporting backlogs, apologising for the prolonged wait and requesting his patience.
Despite these challenges, Brian said he remained concerned that extended waiting times are being used to “keep waiting list figures down” rather than addressing underlying resource shortages.
A Trust spokesperson from the hospital said: “We have seen significant increase in demand for our radiology service and we are doing all we can to reduce the waiting time for results.
“Our specialist consultants are working hard to speed up reporting times and we are also recruiting an additional radiologist to increase our capacity.
“We continue to prioritise cases that involve or suspect cancer.”
