Cheshire Dairy farmer with huge hernia waits five years for surgery

Granada Report journalist Mel Barham has followed Winston's story

A former dairy farmer from Crewe, who has been waiting for an NHS operation for almost five years says he has nearly given up hope.

Winston Baldwin, 75, has been living with a triple hernia since 2019 which has grown so large he can now barely walk and has moved to a care home.

His story has been featured on ITV Granada Reports four times, ever since his treatment was delayed in 2019 during Covid.

In 2022, Winston was told his hernia was too large to be operated on, but there was a glimmer of hope in March 2023 when two surgeons from Arrowe Park hospital on the Wirral got in touch to say they could operate.

Almost a year on though, Winston is still waiting, despite having a number of pre-operation appointments.

He told ITV Granada Reports' Mel Barham: "I don't have a life. I am more or less trapped in my room.

"It's like carrying a bag of potatoes in front of you but it's there all the time. You can't put it down, put it back again, it's always with you."

Winston's condition, which is when internal organs escape through a weakness in the muscle, had grown even more since Granada Reports last filmed with him in November 2023.

Winston said: "I had Covid about a month ago and it has made the hernia grow, so it is actually huge now.

"It's made it more difficult for me to breathe and walk, and I certainly don't want you to see it."

Winston has received a number of pre-op appointments but is still yet to be given a date for the operation.

He is due to have another pre-op on Friday 23 February, which has been brought forward from April.

He said although he has nothing but gratitude for his surgeons he is beyond frustrated at the system that has kept him waiting.

A Wirral University Teaching Hospital spokesperson said: "We can confirm our surgeons reached out to Mr Baldwin to offer their clinical expertise in order to help.

"Due to reasons of patient confidentiality, we are unable to comment further."

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