Bedridden Patient Expresses Feeling ‘Buried Alive’ Amidst NHS Specialist Appointment Delay

A woman who became bedridden after a Covid infection four years ago has voiced criticism regarding her NHS treatment, having been informed of a 40-week waiting period to consult a hospital specialist. Deborah Seymour, a resident of Scarborough, has received diagnoses for conditions such as Long Covid and ME. However, despite various examinations, no physical origin has been identified for additional symptoms like intense head and neck pain. The 50-year-old, who stated she felt “buried alive”, was initially informed by York Hospital that she would endure a year-long wait to see a neurologist; this duration has subsequently been shortened to nine months. The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust stated its understanding that some patients are experiencing longer waits than “we would like” and offered an apology for the “inconvenience and worry” that has resulted. Ms Seymour’s family reported that her health has worsened since she contracted Covid-19 in December 2020, and for the last two years, she has been restricted to bed in a darkened room within her mother’s residence. Her family indicated that she experiences continuous pain, cannot sit or stand, and is so extremely sensitive to light that she uses a blindfold. In remarks captured on a mobile phone, due to her inability to tolerate others in the room, Ms Seymour conveyed that she felt “buried alive” and was “suffocating”. “I’ve lost everything – I can’t even see my children,” she stated. “I don’t have a life at all.” Ms Seymour was admitted to Scarborough Hospital twice last year for emergency care, yet medical professionals were unable to identify a physical basis for her symptoms during either visit. After her initial admission in April 2023, which was for shaking, back pain, and sensitivity to light and sound, it was proposed that some of her symptoms might possess a psychological component; however, her family asserts she was evaluated and released by the mental health team. Subsequently, in September 2023, following her second hospital admission for headaches and neck pain, physicians diagnosed “functional symptoms,” declaring there was “no clear evidence of a medical pathology.” Sylvia Snow, Ms Seymour’s mother, asserted there was “no way” her daughter’s condition could be psychological. “Nobody has given a reason for that – I think it’s a convenient diagnosis because they don’t know what to do,” she commented. Ms Snow further stated that her daughter “gets worse every day” and “desperately needs help” to obtain a “proper diagnosis.” In August, Ms Seymour received correspondence from York Hospital indicating her GP had referred her for an appointment at a neurology clinic. Initially, the Trust communicated that the waiting period for a first appointment would be 52 weeks, but this was later shortened to 40 weeks in a follow-up letter. Ms Seymour expressed that she did not wish to be “filed away under too difficult.” “I need doctors to be open minded and brave – somebody help me,” she pleaded. The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust noted that the impact of the pandemic and industrial action on waiting times is widely acknowledged. A spokesperson stated, “We’re working hard to see patients as soon as we can and have made good progress reducing waiting times, however we do recognise that some patients are waiting longer than we would like, especially for routine referrals.” “We understand this is a difficult wait for Ms Seymour and her family and we are sorry for the inconvenience and worry this is causing for them,” the spokesperson added. The spokesperson concluded, “If Ms Seymour has concerns about the care she has received, we are happy to follow this up if she is able to get in touch with us directly.” Additional reporting was provided by Mary Litchfield.