Neill Bainbridge’s family slams ‘broken’ healthcare system after he dies having never seen oncologist

Neill Bainbridge with a fish he caught during what would be his final fishing trip in August. He died of cancer without seeing an oncologist in September.

A Northland family has lambasted New Zealand’s “broken” healthcare system after their much-loved husband, dad and grandfather died from cancer after 10 weeks without seeing an oncologist.

Sheryl Bainbridge, from Coopers Beach, said her husband Neill was diagnosed with cancer on July 4 and died on September 13 without receiving any treatment.

“It wasn’t until the day before he died that an oncologist rang me.

“He was supposed to go to Whangārei and have an appointment on the 13th but by then he was too sick and that day he died.

“Because of limited resources in all areas of this country’s defective health system, our family was cheated of extra time with Neill in our lives, as by the time treatment was eventually available, it was too late to save him.”

Bainbridge said her husband, aged 73, noticed a lump under a mole on his neck on July 3 and she phoned the doctor.

He went for a scan at Kaitaia Hospital the following day and was told he had nodules on his lungs.

He went for a biopsy and had a series of scans, which discovered the cancer had spread to his kidneys.

Though the prognosis was never good, she believes there was “an opportunity to at least offer him something”.

“But instead they kept on having scans and biopsies but no actual treatment was offered.”

Bainbridge said a doctor told her there were no guarantees but treatment could have extended his life by another 12 to 18 months.

She was told four weeks was an acceptable time to see an oncologist when diagnosed with cancer.

Sheryl and Neill Bainbridge on a rafting trip in May. In July Neill was diagnosed with cancer and died before getting specialist treatment.

The Cancer Society says patients usually wait four to six weeks before starting chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

“While we waited for the ambulance to bring Neill home for the last time, another doctor apologised for a system that did not enable Neill’s life to be prolonged,” Bainbridge said.

“The doctor said he was sorry, the system is broken. He was so disillusioned.”

She said medical staff at Mamaru Clinic, Kaitaia Hospital, and Whangārei Hospital were “compassionate, warm, encouraging and professional”.

“I can’t say strongly enough how brilliant the medical professionals are, but the system is what’s letting them down.

“The receptionists, the radiologists, the doctors, the nurses ... everyone was just wonderful. But so often we heard the words ‘I’m sorry’.

“One person said it’s like working with one hand tied behind your back. At one point there were supposed to be three doctors and five nurses, and there was one doctor and one nurse.”

Northland doctors are burnt out and struggling with a lack of resourcing, despite government promises to increase international recruitment and training.

Patients have long been struggling to find a GP, and those who are enrolled have lengthy wait times for routine appointments.

Hospice Mid-Northland chief executive Belinda Watkins said people trying to access the services they need was “getting more and more difficult” and patients were getting to hospice “later than they should”.

“Like this case, it gets to a serious state with their health before they can get any treatment. We totally agree it’s not good enough.

“We don’t want that for our patients, we want them to get optimum access to services and treatment when they need it, not when it’s too late.

Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau clinical support general manager Chris McLellan acknowledged that “waiting for hospital appointments can be a worrying and sometimes distressing time for patients and their loved ones”.

“We extend our condolences to Mr Bainbridge’s family and can assure them that their complaint will be given the serious attention it deserves and investigated robustly.

“We are committed to providing our communities with exceptional cancer care and treatment services. Our staff work tirelessly every day to support patients and their families/whānau.”

Bainbridge said her husband was prepared to fight, “but never got the chance”.

“He wanted to live, he was determined to live, and he fought as hard as he could until he physically couldn’t.

“He could have been fishing not lying down in a hospital bed waiting to die,” she said.

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering health, food, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.