FURIOUS Jon Owens claims his life was put at risk after he only found out he has a cancerous tumour after a delayed operation on his painful piles.

He says the computer app appointment system at Trowbridge Health Centre meant he struggled for weeks to see a GP, although he was sure the extreme pain he was in meant something was seriously wrong.

The 43-year-old was shocked to hear the cancer diagnosis from Bath RUH last week, after tests following his operation revealed a cancerous tumour. He is due to start chemo and radiotherapy in the next few weeks.

He first felt discomfort last December but had trouble convincing the Seymour Road health centre’s computer app he needed to see a GP, because its multiple choice approach didn’t fit with his symptoms. Further delays followed, and he was not operated on for what he had been told was piles until the end of August.

He said: “The pain was just killing me and the cancer could still be life threatening.

“The systems just don’t work. On the app you go through pages of questions which don’t even really apply. I don’t know why you can’t speak to anyone over the phone and it is really worrying that people are struggling to get seen.

“I was also laughed at by a receptionist and had such trouble getting pain relief and a referral to hospital. Then there was a delay of eight weeks as the paperwork to secure the funding of my operation wasn’t filled out. The health centre is not fit for purpose and it is failing the patients. I just felt so alone and betrayed.

Jon, of Brookmead, Southwick, has now filed an official complaint. A spokesman from Trowbridge Health Centre said: “Our priority is always patient welfare. For confidentiality reasons we are not able to provide any specific details.”