A MAN has finally had an operation to deal with a bleed on the brain more than two months after suffering a fall.

Allan Guthrie, 78, fell at his home in Ashurst Avenue, Southend, on November 20, but has only just had an operation after it was first misdiagnosed and then delayed due to a lack of beds.

Mr Guthrie had suffered a cut to his head after the fall.

On January 16, his wife, Bridget, took him to a GP after noticing he was dragging his right foot and losing co-ordination in his right arm.

The GP said he was fine, but two days later Bridget rushed him to Southend Hospital’s A&E department.

There he was diagnosed with a subdural haematoma and was told he needed urgent treatment at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

However, no beds could be found, meaning Mr Guthrie had to wait until Monday night to have the operation.

His daughter Janet Guthrie, 55, said: “He has spoken and seems much better. He has got back the use of his right hand.

“The surgeon said there is no reason why he shouldn’t make a full recovery. Fingers crossed, his recovery will continue. After all the worry and unnecessary delay, it looks like the problem has been resolved.

“My father’s condition was worsening on a daily basis. We asked if he could be transferred to another hospital, but nothing happened.

“We discovered there are at least five London hospitals my father could have been transferred to, and Addenbrookes in Cambridge. It wasn’t until we started rattling some cages at Southend Hospital that anything was finally done.”

Cheryl Schwarz, acting chief nurse, at Southend Hospital, said: “Nursing staff worked hard to secure a bed for Mr Guthrie at Queen’s Hospital, Romford, which is where he was transferred to for specialist treatment of his head injury.

“Nurses arranged Mr Guthrie’s transfer to Queen’s as soon as the bed was available to ensure he could be treated in a hospital which was best able to meet his clinical needs.

“We understand this has been a worrying time for Mr Guthrie and his family. If theywould like to contact our complaints team, we would gladly go through their concerns with them.”

Nadeem Moghal, medical director for Queen’s Hospital, said: “We treat all of our patients in order of their clinical need, and there will be times when acute medical emergencies have to take priority.

“When this happens, we work to keep all of our patients safe by assessing their clinical needs and adjusting the priorities.”