A deaf man almost had his testicle removed without knowing the risks after a hospital blunder saw him seen by doctors without an interpreter.

Medics even wrongly believed Andrew Wiley, from Canterbury, had “begged” to have the surgery as he was forced to rely on lip-reading and a pen and paper to communicate.

It was only when the 47-year-old saw a surgeon two months later - with an interpreter present - that he learned of the potential complications and decided against going under the knife.

Now, hospital bosses have said they are “deeply sorry” for the distress caused to Mr Wiley, admitting standards were not met.

Mr Wiley’s first appointment to discuss a painful but benign cyst on his testicle was at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in February.

His wife Amanda, 50, had requested an interpreter be present more than once and in plenty of time, adhering to NHS guidance.

But when her husband arrived at the consultation, no such arrangements had been made.

The dad-of-one said: “There were two doctors in the room. I was trying to lip-read, but it was really difficult as he had an accent.

“I was trying to explain to him how much pain I was in. It was difficult and I felt rushed.”

Mr Wiley - who uses British Sign Language - was informed that veins surrounding the lump causing his discomfort made it very difficult to remove in isolation.

He asked the doctor if removing the testicle would be the easiest thing to do as he “just wanted the pain to stop”.

The consultant said yes - and, unknown to Mr Wiley, then put him down to have the procedure without any further discussion.

“Did he explain to me the risks or complications like bleeding and so on? No, he did not,” said Mr Wiley.

“He didn't give me choices either, or even if he did, he didn't explain it properly for me to understand.

“I felt fobbed off. It seemed like he wanted me to leave.”

It was only when Mr Wiley returned to the K&C on April 8 and spoke to a surgeon that he discovered the previous doctor had wrongly noted that he had “begged” to have his testicle removed.

After learning of the complications surgery could have caused, Mr Wiley opted not to have the procedure.

“It was just lack of communication, him saying I was begging for testicle removal and not explaining to me about the risks and the complications,” he said.

“He knew talking to me would be pointless.”

Pain due to the condition has meant Mr Wiley has missed out on hours at work as a freelance support worker for other people with hearing loss.

He has received no treatment, as progress has been delayed due to the miscommunication.

Mr Wiley - who was born deaf - is now calling for the NHS to better accommodate hearing-impaired patients.

“It makes me very angry. I’ve been let down,” he said.

“My issues would have been sorted out sooner if I was not deaf.

“I would have been understood and treated quicker.”

Many times we've been to the doctors’ and had no interpreter…

The NHS has a legal responsibility to make sure the services they provide are equally accessible to all sections of the community.

But Mr Wiley said: “Many times we've been to the doctors’ and had no interpreter.

“Sometimes I can be independent and lip-read if I have a small problem.

“But something like this, I need help so I know what I’m getting myself into.”

On one occasion, Mr Wiley says he went to the A&E department at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital with chest pain and let reception know he was deaf.

After sitting for several hours, another patient told him staff had been calling his name but had moved on to the next person when he did not answer.

“In my line of work, I hear problems with interpreters all the time,” Mr Wiley said.

“I go to an appointment with a client and there isn’t one. Sometimes they cry or break down because of it.

“I never thought I would be having to go through this for me.

“If you request an interpreter, one should be there. I have a lot of deaf friends and I hear it all the time.”

Mrs Wiley says the hospital is not doing its job properly by failing to provide an interpreter for deaf patients.

“Especially appointments where you're having an operation and you're not properly explained what the risks are,” she said.

“If [the doctor] can't understand that properly, he can't make a decision.”

Sarah Hayes, the chief nursing officer at East Kent Hospitals, which runs the K&C and William Harvey, said: “We are deeply sorry that Mr Wiley faced such difficulty at his appointment and for the distress this caused.

“We are committed to ensuring effective communication with our patients and Mr Wiley’s experience fell below the standard we would expect.”