A DESPERATELY ill Droitwich pensioner had a vital hip replacement operation cancelled twice in a matter of days.

Eric Thomas (pictured below) has been housebound since doctors determined he was in urgent need hip replacement surgery in July.

He was given an operation date of November 3 - however this was brought forward to last Tuesday due to the tireless efforts of his daughter, Sue Cotton. On the morning of the surgery he called Worcester Royal Infirmary to check there was a bed available. He was told someone would call him later.

"Lunchtime came and went and no one phoned back, so I thought I would phone them," said the 78-year-old.

He was told a bed would be available by the evening and at about 3.30pm an ambulance was sent out to collect him from his home in Clayhall Road.

When he arrived at the Newtown Road hospital he was taken to a waiting room, along with two other patients awaiting surgery.

"A managerial woman came in and told us there were no beds for us because the hospital was on 'black alert'," said Mr Thomas.

The wheelchair-bound pensioner was told he should return in the morning because a bed would be available then. Three hours later an ambulance returned him to Droitwich. The following day - once again geared up for surgery - he phoned the hospital but they told him all operations had been cancelled. He has now been given a date for November 23.

Mr Thomas enjoyed an active life and was on holiday in Malta when he noticed his hip causing him pain. Now he is housebound and has to take strong medication to deaden the excruciating pain.

He added: "The staff at the hospital were faultless - it's not their fault - it's just the system. That hospital cannot deal with the number of patients using it."

His daughter Sue said: "I am at my wits end. I do not know what to do. His condition is getting worse."

Janet Marie Clark, spokeswoman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, said: "We did try and bring forward Mr Thomas' operation date but unfortunately due to emergency pressures we had to cancel on both the first and second occasion.

"We apologise to Mr Thomas for the distress this has caused him."