HEREFORD cancer patient Andrew Jones was told that an operation would give him a strong chance of recovery. Then he effectively had the rug pulled from under his feet.

The 55-year-old accountant remains “in limbo” after successive assessments for his mouth cancer at hospitals in Worcester, Coventry and Birmingham. Now Mr Jones is waiting for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to decide whether an operation can go ahead.

“Cancer is not something you can put on pause,” said Mr Jones who points out he has been subjected to a “rollercoaster of emotions” since learning of his diagnosis in December.

“An operation was scheduled at Worcester for February 11, but on February 3 I was told it won’t happen because post-operative care at the hospital, currently in special measures, could not be provided,” he said. “One day I’m told they’re happy to operate and have a 95 per cent chance of recovery, the next day I’m a dead man walking.”

He claimed this was “an obscenity at its highest” and that it was not just happening to him. Mr Jones believed that “at least six other patients” had been referred from Worcester to Coventry.

At University Hospital Coventry he was told he had between three to six months to live. At the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham consultants agreed with Worcester’s diagnosis, though his operation could not be conducted for six weeks.

“They recommended that Worcester should do it,” he said.

Returning to Worcester, Mr Jones said a meeting to deliberate on his case was called on Friday. Now he is still awaiting a decision.

“I am a very tenacious guy,” he explained. “I do a lot of public speaking and it’s the case that if somebody doesn’t shout all these other poor souls will be suffering in silence.” His experiences have also been harrowing for his wife, Iren and his parents.

Chief Medical Officer of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Suneil Kapadia stated: “We’ve identified a very small number of patients requiring extremely complex reconstructive surgery for their head or neck, who we believe should receive that surgery in a specialist centre which is able to offer not just the surgery but round the clock on-site support needed in the event of any complications after surgery.”

These actions have been taken “purely in the interests of patient safety”, said Dr Kapadia. Chief executive of the trust, Matthew Hopkins has spoken to Mr Jones to apologise for the delay in surgery.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure he receives the most appropriate treatment for his condition as soon as possible,” said Mr Hopkins.