A 62-year-old woman from Gloucester was compelled to pay £13,500 for private heart surgery after a delayed Royal Mail letter informing her of an NHS operation date arrived three days following her procedure.

Wendy Worth, an administrative assistant and mother of two, underwent a coronary angioplasty with a stent insertion at Gloucester Royal Hospital on July 22 after growing increasingly concerned about her condition, which involved near-complete blockage of her left ventricle. She made the decision to pursue private treatment, fearing that waiting for NHS care could jeopardize her health.

However, on July 25—three days after the operation—Mrs. Worth received a second-class letter dated July 9 detailing an NHS appointment for the same procedure scheduled for August 3. The letter’s delivery was delayed by nine days due to staffing and resourcing pressures at Royal Mail depots in Gloucester, an issue that has prompted some local residents to begin collecting their own mail rather than awaiting home delivery.

Mrs. Worth expressed distress over the timing, saying she was shocked and upset to discover she could have had the surgery free on the NHS. “I literally cried because I thought, ‘I’ve spent all this money and I could have had it on the NHS’—it cost me my inheritance,” she said. She also noted irony in having undergone a private procedure performed by NHS doctors at the same Gloucester Royal Hospital where patients with NHS appointments were being treated.

Between the date on the letter and her scheduled NHS surgery, she did not receive any direct contact from NHS services regarding the delayed appointment. The delayed letter arrived with other important mail, including overdue birthday and graduation cards for Mrs. Worth and her son.

In response to the delays, Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre and Royal Mail convened a meeting with affected residents, including Mrs. Worth. McIntyre called the situation “completely unacceptable,” underscoring the impact on constituents.

A Royal Mail spokesman expressed regret over the incident and stated an investigation is underway. Meanwhile, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust apologised for the delayed delivery of the appointment letter and noted that additional checks have been introduced since identifying issues affecting mail delivery in the area.