James O'Donnell, from Sevenoaks, will next see a consultant at Altnagelvin Hospital on Christmas Eve, and says that even at this stage he's unsure if he will be given a thorough diagnosis or treatment plan.
"I have numbness down one side of my face, it is spreading to my arm and neck. I get searing headaches and have no sense of taste.

A scan in the summer revealed the tumour has grown and that there are now lesions on the other side of my brain. And yet I'm still waiting for a full diagnosis, a prognosis or any form of treatment. I've not been given so much as aspirin.

"I'm fully expecting to be told on Christmas Eve that there is nothing which can be done for me."

James is a nurse himself, working in the coronary care unit at Altnagelvin. He says the Western Health and Social Services Board has now agreed to set up an independent review panel to examine the issues highlighted by his case. He adds that he knows he is not the only person to have slipped through the net.

"My case was referred to an outside contractor brought in by the hospital to deal with the waiting lists. I had an MRI in January and heard nothing until April. By that stage, I thought the scan must have been clear but I was called back and told - in a five minute appointment - that I had a brain tumour. Seven months later I'm still waiting to find out what will be done to treat it.

"I know now it has grown close to my carotid artery. One turn of the head and it could all be over for me. Blood tests have been lost, records have been unavailable and consultants are few and far between. To have lived with the knowledge that I have this thing growing in my head, that it is doing untold damage and could kill me has been crucifying and yet no one seems to care."

Mr O'Donnell said: "Resources are so stretched at the hospital - there is only one resident neurology consultant - that with the best will in the world, people aren't getting the attention they need."
Despite repeated attempts yesterday, Western Health and Social Care Trust were not available.