A WOMAN who fears she could die due to a life threatening condition says she is being refused an operation on the NHS that could save her life.

Dawn Read, aged 54, said she has “no quality of life” after being left partially blind due from resistant hypertension.

Her condition means she constantly has extremely high blood pressure, which is causing damage to her organs, and is unable to drive,read or work.

Mrs Read, of St Davids Drive, Evesham, used to work as a veterinary receptionist but now spends much of her time in hospital due to her debilitating condition.

She has applied to the NHS for an exceptional funding grant for barror receptor therapy, an operation where the arteries are encased with a wire-type material to lower blood pressure, similar to a pace maker.

But she has been refused three times, and believes she will be refused again.

She said: “It is frustrating. I just feel like other people are given treatment without question, really. I have no quality of life. I can’t drive – so we have sold the car. I cannot read. It is hard work. I used to work as a veterinary receptionist but I can’t see enough to see the computer screen.

She added: “I am probably asleep more than I am awake.”

She said: “What I have lost on my eye sight it won’t come back. I have got to get it sorted before I lose anymore. Else I will lose my sight completely.”

Mrs Read, who lives with her husband Michael, said the people who have come up with the treatment method are so confident they will pay for the operation if it does not work.

Her illness started about three years ago.

An NHS England spokesperson said:"We have real sympathy with any patient facing these illnesses. These difficult decisions on treatment are medical judgements, which are quite rightly taken by top specialists in their field, based on evidence which patients would benefit from this type of treatment.

"Following the initial Individual Funding Request in March, the consultant was advised to approach the local Clinical Commissioning Group responsible for this service.  NHS England has considered views expressed by the CCG, and sought advice from the national clinical reference group over this treatment.

"Although this particular device is experimental and not routinely available on the NHS, pacemakers for hypertension are commissioned by the local clinical commissioning group which considers the clinical benefits of experimental treatment through their own Individual Funding Request process."

A spokesman for the three Worcestershire CCGs said: “While the Worcestershire CCGs do understand and sympathise with the difficulties faced by patients facing serious illnesses we are unable to comment on individual patients.”