A 55-year-old Swindon man with chronic pancreatitis says delayed syringe deliveries from HCRG Care Group forced him to attempt sterilising and reusing a syringe while he endured severe pain. MP Brian Mathew has received more than 100 complaints about the private provider's new Single Point of Access and met HCRG to raise concerns about referral backlogs, staffing and a February 2025 cyber incident. HCRG says it has recruited more staff, reduced call wait times to about three minutes and cleared the referral backlog by the end of September.
Patient Reused Syringe After Community Provider Failed To Deliver Supplies; MP Raises More Than 100 Complaints
The man from Swindon was left in agony waiting for syringes to treat his pancreatitis [BBC]
A 55-year-old man in Swindon says he was left in severe pain and forced to attempt sterilising and reusing a syringe after a private provider delivering NHS community services failed to bring the medical supplies he needs.
What the patient says happened
The man, who asked not to be named, lives with chronic pancreatitis following a Whipple procedure in 2015 for pancreatic cancer and precancerous cells, and later suffered a perforated bowel. He administers prescribed medication at home and says community nurses are responsible for supplying consumables such as syringes and needles.
He describes calling the service after an expected nursing visit did not take place. Initially he was told someone was on their way; when no one arrived he called again and was informed staff could not reach the relevant team. By early evening he gave up waiting and told the service not to send anyone.
"I said I would disinfect my used syringe," he said. "I had to put them in boiling water to try to sterilise them." Fresh supplies arrived at about 21:30 BST that night.
The patient contrasted this experience with the care he says he received when services were provided directly by the NHS, saying he previously would receive a callback within about 30 minutes. He described waiting for medication as "extremely distressing":
Brian Mathew MP said he was determined to get "right to the bottom of what has been going on" with HCRG [BBC]
"You are just curled up in a ball. You can't take it. It's horrible. You have just got to lie there and wait."
He has also complained about an inaccurate entry in his medical record in August that said he had refused insulin.
Other complaints raised
MP Brian Mathew, who represents Melksham and Devizes, has taken up the issue after receiving more than 100 complaints from constituents about HCRG Care Group, which provides community health services across Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset.
In a separate case, Heather Moore of Midsomer Norton said her partner, 88-year-old Hugh Bigger, who has Alzheimer's disease, was left lying on a bathroom floor for almost three hours after a fall on 24 August. Ms Moore said she called 999 shortly after 14:00 BST and was told help would be arranged, but later learned the request had been referred to HCRG and then declined by the relevant team. Mr Bigger was finally assisted off the floor at about 17:00 BST with help from people connected to his private care provider.
MP and local action
Mr Mathew met HCRG regional director Val Scrase to raise concerns about the organisation's new Single Point of Access system, a backlog of referrals, recruitment and vacancies, and the company's handling of a cyber attack and data breach in February 2025. He said many referrals were held up in a defective IT system and that addressing the problems had resulted in cancelled clinics and delayed appointments.
Heather Moore was left waiting hours for help to arrive after partner Hugh Bigger had a fall [BBC]
He said he will meet the Integrated Care Board and other Wiltshire MPs to press for answers and solutions. "We're determined to get right to the bottom of what has been going on," he told the BBC.
Provider response
HCRG acknowledged the April launch of its Single Point of Access "was not as smooth as it should have been" and apologised to patients who waited too long to speak to staff. The provider said it had since recruited more staff, reduced average call-answer time to around three minutes and introduced priority lines, including for carers of people at the end of life.
HCRG added that additional clinical support helped clear a referral backlog by the end of September and that referral processing had returned to normal. The company said patients affected by delays were being contacted with new appointment details and that its 18-week performance for adult and children's services matches national NHS England figures.
Regarding the February 2025 cyber attack and data breach, HCRG said it acted immediately, reported the incident to law enforcement and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), and contacted everyone identified as affected once the facts were established. A spokesperson said the ICO concluded its consideration of the incident and closed the matter without further action, and there was no evidence that affected information had appeared online or been misused.
What this means for patients
Local MPs and patients remain concerned about gaps in access and communication after the service change. HCRG says it does not discuss individual patient treatment publicly but addresses concerns directly with patients and carers while continuing to work with authorities and local health bodies to resolve outstanding issues.
Note: The reporting is based on local accounts and statements from HCRG and local officials; specific case details have been included as recounted by the patients and their representatives.
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