Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to investigate the case of Kelly Thomas from St. Florence, who has been waiting 15 months for an urgent bowel operation.

The case of the mum of two was raised in Prime Minister's Questions by her MP Simon Hart, who has been battling to help her for more than a year.

The hospitals in Hywel Dda Health Board have said that they are unable to carry out the operation as they don't have the facilities to care properly for Kelly afterwards.

But Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board in Swansea, where she can have the operation, say their list is too long and they cannot give her a date for the foreseeable future.

Mr. Hart told Mr. Cameron: "Kelly has been waiting nearly 15 months for urgent bowel surgery, which, if she lived in England, she could have had in six weeks. NHS Wales refused to fund that treatment (in England) on the basis that it is technically available in Wales, although ironically there are no surgeons available to do it.

"Someone somewhere needs to make a common-sense and humane decision. I hope the prime minister can help that happen."

Mr. Cameron replied: "I will look at this case. It sounds as if it is a very sad case but, I am afraid, not an isolated case. As the Welsh National Audit Office found, overall, Welsh patients face shorter waits for treatment in England than they do in Wales.

"That is a fact. What we need is a change of direction in Wales from the Labour administration: instead of cutting the NHS, they should be investing in the NHS; instead of leaving the bureaucracy in place, they should be taking it out of the NHS.

"In short, they should be taking a different track, so that we give people a better NHS."