Man says 'I need help' as NHS refuse to remove five-stone lump on his stomach

Alan Bromyard has been left 'heartbroken' after the NHS rejected funding for surgery to remove the huge five stone growth hanging from his abdomen twice

A man says his life has been ruined after the NHS refused to fund surgery to remove a massive five-stone lump from his stomach. Alan Bromyard, 48, has been living with the large lymphedema for nearly two years, and his condition is severely impacting his daily life - but his request has been judged simply to be "cosmetic".

Despite a recent bout of sepsis that left him hospitalised for 14 days, the Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has rejected his funding request twice. Mr Bromyard from Long Eaton said: "I nearly died.

"It hangs down to my knees, it's a right mess and needs to be removed. They class the operation as cosmetic and say that's why I can't have the funding. It's a 5st lump of fluid, I can't lose it through dieting so what are they expecting me to do? I need help, I'm heartbroken."

The condition has forced him to give up his hobbies, including farming and fishing, and has left him largely bedridden. "I have farmed all my adult life but I had to sell them because I couldn't work them anymore," he said.

"I was out fishing or shooting most weekends. Now I'm just in bed. I can't go up the stairs, I can't drive to my appointments. My knees and hips have gone. I'm missing my life because of this. A nurse once told me it's cruel living like this and it really stuck with me because it is.

"It feels like I'm carrying a dead-weight toddler around all the time. It breaks down, it leaks - it's just a mess. One week I had to use £176 worth of bandages because it leaks that much," he told Nottinghamshire Live.

Mr Bromyard expressed his frustration after two funding applications for necessary surgery were rejected, despite his surgeon's recommendation that he would "thoroughly benefit from the surgery". The application detailed the urgent need for an apronectomy to remove a large abdominal pannus that is significantly impacting his mood and daily life.

The Derby and Derbyshire ICB responded with a letter stating: "This request has been reviewed by our screening pair which consists of a Public Health Consultant and a representative from the Derbyshire Integrated Care Board. This request has been declined by our screening panel."

Following the initial rejection in July 2023, Mr Bromyard's surgeon submitted another funding request in August, which was also turned down. Now, Mr Bromyard's surgeon, along with his GP and the head of the lymphedema clinic at Nottingham University Hospitals, are preparing a third application for funding.

A spokesperson for NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB stated: "We cannot comment on individual cases. Some treatments are not normally available on the NHS and in these circumstances people are able to request individual funding requests where a service, intervention or treatment falls outside of existing service provision.

"The application for funding is made by the patient's clinician who is required to demonstrate that the circumstances are exceptional. This decision-making process ensures that each request is considered in a fair and transparent way, with decisions based on the best available evidence and in accordance with our individual funding request policy."