‘It’s like shovelling snow in a blizzard’ Doctor shares frustration at situation facing children at Wales’ biggest hospital
A doctor has shared her frustration and passion for caring for children at Wales' biggest hospital. Paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr Clare Carpenter described the challenges they face when dealing with surgery for children as "like shovelling snow in a blizzard".
Dr Carpenter's surgical waiting lists are the longest they have ever been, with 140 children waiting for a procedure to take place. Speaking during BBC's Saving Lives in Cardiff series, she described how there are some children in need of surgery at Cardiff's Noah's Ark Hospital at the University Hospital of Wales who have been waiting for more than two years. We asked the Welsh Government why NHS waiting lists are still rising in Wales - you can read what they said here.
The episode, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now, follows Dr Carpenter as she deals with having to cancel scheduled surgery in order to carry out emergency work instead. She is told at the beginning of the episode that some procedures are going to have to be cancelled.
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"Every day is fairly busy, but Monday has its particular individual challenges, especially after two days of emergency take over the wekeend," Dr Carpenter said. During the episode it is explained there are not enough beds and nurses to take care of all the children that need surgery.
Dr Carpenter describes herself as a proud Welsh woman and Welsh language learner. She said she believes one of the aspects of Welshness is passion, and added that she is very passionate about her work.
The emergency case that Dr Carpenter needs to deal with first thing on a Monday morning is that of seven-year-old Ollie, who has broken his leg for the second time. The break has happened in the same place, his femur, as the first time it happened a couple of years ago. So Dr Carpenter is not only tasked with fixing the break but also trying to find out why the reoccurrence has happened.
Dr Carpenter said: "There is no way we can leave a child in pain with a fractured femur, as a consequence we have had to cancel some of our other high priority list. I do feel somewhat as if I am being kind of strangled. It's like you're putting everything in the top but nothing is coming out at the bottom so the level is just piling up."
The top surgeon was asked if this "juggle" happens often, and Dr Carpenter said it was an "every day" occurrence. "So much so, it is difficult getting on with the work in hand let alone dealing with all these obstacles."
Before Dr Carpenter works on Ollie's leg, she carries out a surgery on a baby with a dislocated hip. She also squeezes in an appointment with 11-year-old Oliver, who has cerebral palsy and needs botox injections in his leg muscles to ease the pain he is in and aid his mobility, but plans to return to see him following surgery. After six hours in theatre, Dr Carpenter finds enough time to carry out the procedure that Oliver needs to keep him out of pain.
Throughout the episode viewers see Dr Carpenter engage with her young patients in a warm and comforting way, ensuring that they know what is going on at all times and offering excellent standards of care. At the end of the prorgramme, Dr Carpenter said: "Does it feel like I am shovelling snow in a blizzard? Yes it is hard work, but at some point the blizzard surely has to stop. You have to keep going because it is such a wonderful job. You've just got to keep shovelling that snow because eventually you will see that path. At the end of it there's a patient that desperately needs something to be done, and that is the driver."
Saving Lives in Cardiff is available to watch on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.