A PENSIONER from Worcester says it is “disgusting” that he has to travel to Kidderminster rather than Worcester for hospital appointments, leaving his frail wife on her own.

Sidney Williams, 81, who lives in Dines Green, has to attend regular x-ray appointments at Worcestershire Royal Hospital but says he has recently been turned away and told he must go to Kidderminster for a CT scan on his hip and spine.

He said: “I have been on the Worcestershire Royal for going on 18 months now, but was told I had to go to Kidderminster.

“I phoned them and said I can’t go and asked them to transfer me to Worcester because I need to take care of my wife 24/7.

“They said they could organise an ambulance to take me there but I know what happens if you get the ambulance, you end up being pushed into a ward waiting to be seen.

“I have got spine and hip problems and can hardly get around, even crossing the road to get a bus some days is a struggle. I just think it is disgusting the way us old-age pensioners get treated.”

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The standard procedure run at Worcestershire Royal is that, if a patient requires a CT scan as Mr Williams does, they are sent to either Kidderminster or Redditch because the CT scanners at Worcester are only usually used in emergencies.

Dr Robert Johnson, clinical director for radiology at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We make every effort to make the best use of all of our equipment and facilities to ensure all of our patients get the care they need, when they need it.

“Our CT scanners on the Worcestershire Royal site are a key part of ensuring patients with urgent or life threatening conditions get the diagnosis they need to help our clinical teams start their treatment as quickly as possible.

“Where patients need planned or less urgent scans, we offer appointments at Kidderminster or the Alexandra Hospital which helps them by reducing the amount of time they have to wait and ensures we can keep the CT scanners at Worcester focussed primarily on the most urgent cases.

“However, where patients can demonstrate there are exceptional circumstances which mean they have a particular need to have a scan at Worcester we will try to accommodate that which is what we’ve done in this case.”

Mr Williams has since been offered an appointment in Worcester.