THE family of a disabled pensioner have issued an official complaint against Colchester General Hospital for his treatment following a fall.

Joseph Hayes, 84, was admitted to the Emergency Assessment Unit following a 17-hour ambulance wait when he fell at his Colchester home on November 19.

In excruciating pain, he was sent for an X-ray on arrival, but the family claim he was not examined.

They were then told Mr Hayes, who has giant cell arthritis and walks with a frame, had fractured his leg.

But the next day when daughter Ria Heslop asked for her dad's notes to be emailed to his GP at Southend University Hospital, she was shocked there was no mention of a fracture, or the fact he needed a rapid referral.

She said: “I emailed the hospital and said, ‘This is what my father suffers with. I want you to come back to me why it’s been missed off’.”

Mrs Heslop added: “A matron investigated and then said she couldn’t apologise enough.

“She confirmed my dad had an upper fibula fracture.

"I was promised she would oversee a new report but the saga continued because it was late and yet again, there was no mention of a fracture."

Mr Hayes, who sees carers four times a day, was discharged and faced waiting for a rapid referral appointment with his doctor until January 17. 

Mrs Heslop, 52, decided to go private for an earlier appointment and had to pay £330 for transport to hospital.

The whole ordeal has lasted more than three weeks. 

She added: “After seeing the private consultant, we’ve been told it wasn’t a fracture at all but the line pointed out on the X-ray is where the fibula joins the tibia.

"Everything on the reports were wrong.

“My dad’s leg is so bad in terms of the pain, he needs an MRI scan, but as a result of going private, potentially this could cost us up to £12,000.

“We can’t afford that, but my dad now can’t get the MRI scan he needs for the damage to his leg to be properly assessed.

“The original NHS appointment is still available to us in January, but I just don’t know where to turn.”

Mrs Heslop has now lodged an official complaint against the hospital.

A spokesperson for Colchester General Hospital said: “We are sorry to learn of Mrs Heslop’s concerns and have launched a full investigation to carefully look into all the issues and concerns raised.

“We will share all of the findings with Ms Heslop as soon as the investigation has been completed.”