Tense moment surgeon has to make life-changing choice between two patients

With the ever-increasing pressure and demand NHS doctors are often being forced to make life-changing decisions about which patients should get treated and when. This was the case for Dr Stuart James at the University Hospital of Wales in the latest Saving Lives in Cardiff episode.

Shown on BBC One in Wales and BBC Two elsewhere the series lifts the lid on the heart-rending hard-headed decisions surgeons must make across Cardiff. In Tuesday's episode spinal surgeon Dr James was faced with a tough decision.

With ever-growing waiting lists Dr James tells the programme his longest-waiting patient has been waiting for five years for surgery. In the episode he had to choose between 61-year-old Gareth, who collapsed at home due to serious damage to his spinal cord, and Eddie, 68, who has waited three months for surgery to stabilise his neck which he fractured after a horse-riding accident. Ultimately Dr James chose to operate on Gareth as he could have become paralysed if not operated on soon.

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Dr James said: "A great dilemma is patients who need operations soon versus the pressures of those that have waited the longest... I have to be an advocate for everybody... you have to try and find the balance." As Gareth's surgery took longer than expected it meant that Eddie, who had already been waiting eight hours and was bumped to the last slot on the list, would not get his surgery that day.

In a tense moment Dr James had to tell Eddie he would not be getting his surgery. Speaking to Eddie he said: "We can't do it today purely because we have run out of time. Unfortunately sometimes that happens. What we will do is we've got to sort of negotiate and see what we can do for getting time in theatre."

When Eddie asked when that would be Dr James replied: "You are asking me for something I can't answer at the moment. It is a tricky situation."

Speaking to the cameras Eddie said he was "very disappointed" not to have had his surgery and Dr James said it "never gets easy" having to cancel operations. Eddie was able to get his surgery the day after it had been cancelled and continued to recover at the hospital. For the latest TV and showbiz news sign up to our newsletter.