Hospital turns away pensioner

A STROKE victim was refused his Royal Oldham Hospital appointment by mobile phone as he arrived in the car park outside.

Alan Henson (71), who is waiting for a knee replacement, was astonished when a secretary called him at 2.20pm and said his consultant had cancelled all appointments after 3pm on Tuesday.

Despite telling her that he was right outside the doors, Mr Henson said the consultant refused to see him.

Now Mr Henson has called the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to complain.

He said: “I arrived early, so my daughter could drop me off and look for a parking space. My appointment was for 3.10pm. I told the secretary where I was and asked if the consultant could still see me, but I could hear him tell her he would not see patients after 3pm.

“I have already had X-rays and scans on my knee so I was expecting to be told what would be happening next.

“But it’s the fact that I was literally outside the doors. I was absolutely appalled.”

Mr Henson’s tale of woe follows a front-page story in the Chronicle about ambulances queuing round the block at A&E with patients reporting a six-hour wait.

Mr Hernon said:“This is not just about me, what about all the other people on the day? The lady told me there were about 10 or 12 other appointments.

“Then I got home and read the front page of the Chronicle, and just thought, what is going on?”

A hospital spokesman said: “We have apologised to Mr Henson. It was unavoidable due to a member of staff being absent through illness.”