The first person in Wales to undergo aquablation therapy for an enlarged prostate
- Brendan John
- May 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 2
At the end of January, Mr Roy Clark, 67, a semi-retired roofer and keen skier, originally from the North East, was the first person in Wales to undergo aquablation therapy to treat an uncomfortable enlarged prostate. Mr Clark says he feels ‘total relief’ as a result of the procedure at Nuffield Health Cardiff and Vale Hospitals and would wholeheartedly recommend aquablation and his surgeon Mr Matthew Jefferies.
For a few years before, physically active Roy had an enlarged prostate. Things came to a head at the end of November 2024, when he was having difficulty passing urine. On a trip ‘back home to see the lads’ in December, he had to go to Casualty in the North East and have a catheter fitted in order to be able to drain the fluid build-up and was told to return to his local hospital in Swansea the following week to have the temporary catheter removed. However, he was told couldn’t get a slot until January for the removal and became so ill, feeling very rough by Christmas Eve, that he had to attend as an emergency on Christmas Day. Fortuitously he saw Consultant Urological and Robotic Surgeon Mr Matthew Jeffries, who removed the bag and fitted a new one, whilst explaining his treatment options, including the new robotic technique.
No stranger to the Vale Hospital, Roy had experienced orthopaedic care there a few months prior to this second series of visits. The first time it was treatment for a pelvic fracture due to a skiing injury, with Hip specialist Mr Stephen Jones, which is now fully resolved.
In early January 2025, Roy went to see Mr Jefferies privately, as a self pay patient at Nuffield Health’s Vale Hospital, this time for robotic aquablation, enhanced by advanced computer software and imaging. Booked in the same month, he was the first patient there ever to undergo the innovative aquablation therapy, a minimally invasive heat-free water-jet procedure to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In the meantime, between consultation and his op, he bravely went ahead with a ski trip to Austria, with his catheter in place!
After the procedure, he has been absolutely fine and bounced back like nothing was ever wrong. Annually in the UK, 3 million men are impacted by BPH and 30,000 require surgery.
Roy Clark cannot speak highly enough of the Nuffield Health team, saying, “They are all absolutely brilliant; you can have a laugh with all the nurses and doctors and they really put you at ease.
For the aquablation, I had a general anaesthetic and, as the first ever patient in Wales, agreed that the procedure could be filmed for medical training purposes. Apparently there was quite an audience, including a doctor over from Germany! I was only in overnight, the relief was instant and I was able to be discharged after breakfast, once the fluids had been flushed through. Mr Jefferies is a marvellous fella, who explained the full process to me, so I knew what to expect. I am so grateful to him and for the new robotic procedure which precisely targets and removes the excess prostate tissue. No more catheters nor excessively frequent loo trips needed now and I can properly get on with enjoying life and focus on being properly semi-retired!”
