Alexander McDonald’s Eye-Cancer Diagnosis Delayed After Follow-Up Missed

What changed

An inquest found that Alexander McDonald’s eye-cancer diagnosis was delayed after a recommended six-month ophthalmology follow-up never happened. McDonald died on 30 November 2025 after choroidal melanoma spread to his liver.

The missed appointment followed a scan at an urgent eye visit in June 2022. A further check in June 2023 led to the diagnosis. The coroner said treatment could have started six months earlier.

Why it matters

This was not simply a missed diary reminder. It exposed a system with too few specialists and no national process reliably tracking patients who need ongoing eye surveillance.

Around 140,000 ophthalmology follow-up appointments in Wales are awaiting review, while only 65 consultant ophthalmologists are available. That gap turns a clinically intended six-month check into an uncertain wait, with potentially serious consequences when a condition can worsen unseen.

The coroner warned that similar delays could lead to late cancer diagnoses and deaths. The Welsh government said health boards must have procedures to manage capacity and ensure patients are reviewed within the timescales clinicians intend.

The practical test now is whether those procedures produce named responsibility and timely appointments. Without that, the promise to learn lessons risks becoming another item waiting for review.