Endometriosis patient is one of millions waiting for NHS treatment, as numbers have soared
Jasmine is in so much pain she can hardly get out of bed.
She’s clutching a hot water bottle and taking morphine, a strong painkiller which she says turns her into “a zombie”.
“It’s like there’s like a ball of acid in the middle of my torso and it’s burning its way through each of my organs. And it feels like that 24/7,” said the 23-year-old.
The pain Jasmine is describing is caused by endometriosis, a debilitating condition where cells similar to the ones lining the womb are found elsewhere in the body.
This can lead to inflammation, pain and the formation of scar tissue.
“It feels like there’s just searing, stinging, burning pain constantly. And that’s not even the worst of it,” she tells me.
She said symptoms started when she was about 12 years old and have worsened as the years have gone on.
For years she has had appointments, consultations and surgery on the NHS. But her experiences have left more than physical scars.
“I’ve been made to feel like I’m taking up their time. I’ve been made to feel like I’m not important and that my issues should just be medicated and that’s it.”
Read more: The search for a cure for endometriosis
Jasmine waited a year and seven months for an operation, but only after surgery was cancelled six times.
“There was never really a good explanation as to why the surgery was cancelled. I’d just get called up by someone and told it wasn’t happening.”
Jasmine with her fiance Alex
7.5 million waiting for treatment
Jasmine is one of millions of patients waiting months, sometimes years for NHS treatment. And the numbers have soared since the pandemic.
The number of people waiting for treatment on the NHS has doubled to 7.5 million and even though targets state that 92% of patients should begin treatment within 18 weeks, that target has not been met for nearly a decade.
Which is why the NHS will be one of the big issues for voters in the general election.
Labour said it will cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments each week, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-doms.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives and Lib Dems have also promised to cut waiting lists by pouring an extra £1bn into the NHS.
Tackling waiting lists is also the public’s top priority – the highest number of those polled, 39%, say reducing them is the thing they most want the next government to deliver for the NHS, followed by 26% saying making it easier to get a GP appointment.
Twenty-five per cent who responded said the NHS is completely broken, with 61% saying it’s in a poor state and parts of it are broken. Only 1% of people said the NHS is healthy and has very few problems.
Thirty-two per cent of people said they most trusted Labour to reduce waiting times, with just 9% saying they trust the Conservatives most to do it.
Most tellingly, just over a quarter of those who responded, 26%, said no party can be trusted to solve the problems with the NHS.
‘Life seems quite bleak now’
It currently takes an average of eight years and 10 months to get a diagnosis of endometriosis, according to the charity Endometriosis UK.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, gynaecology waiting lists have increased by over 60%, the biggest increase in any specialism. In England alone, there are nearly 600,000 people on gynaecology waiting lists.
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS takes endometriosis very seriously and it is essential that staff support women experiencing cyclical pain as well as the psychological effects associated with their symptoms.
“The health service is committed to meeting women’s individual healthcare needs and is rolling out dedicated pelvic health clinics – bringing together specialist healthcare staff – to provide further support for women living with endometriosis, as well as supporting all local areas to develop a women’s health hub, to help deliver better menstrual health services and improve women’s health outcomes.”
Jasmine is still waiting for her operation to ease her symptoms of endometriosis.
“It has taken a massive physical toll. But I suppose mentally maybe worse. Life seems quite bleak now. I used to have a lot of dreams wanting to travel the world. But I don’t have the energy for that anymore.”
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She says she hopes whoever wins the general election focuses more on the NHS.
“I’d like to believe that there was some sort of superhero to swoop in and save the NHS but I don’t feel in this current climate that that’s even remotely possible.
“I think the current government have run the NHS into the ground, but I don’t have much faith in any of the other parties to do much better.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.
The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.
On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.
Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.
“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”
“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.
Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.
Harshita Brella, 24, from Corby. Her body was found in a car in east London. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.
“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.
“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”
Pankaj Lamba. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
Force referred to police watchdog
On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.
Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.
East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.
State-of-the-art technology has been used to create a voice for King Richard III – giving him a Yorkshire accent.
A digital avatar of the medieval king’s head went on display in front of excited history fans at York Theatre Royal.
Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32.
His remains were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012 by historian Philippa Langley.
Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.
A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.
His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.
The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.
Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a a good physical match.
Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.
The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.
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The voice shows the change in pronunciation over the centuries – from regional variations to the Queen’s English.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”
Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life
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