BUNGLING hospital bosses have apologised to a pensioner after arranging an appointment to remove her daughter's tonsils ... 50 years after they were taken out.

Peggy Houghton's daughter, Angela Rodway, who is deputy headteacher at Great Malvern Primary School, had a tonsillectomy at the former Worcester Royal Infirmary in 1953 when she was six.

But the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch wrote to Mrs Houghton last month to tell her the operation on Angela - now 55 and a mother-of-two - was to take place yesterday.

The 83-year-old, from Malvern, Worcestershire, said: "I can't believe they could have got it so wrong - I've never been anywhere near this hospital before," said the 83-year-old from Belmont Road, Malvern Link.

"When I got the letter, I couldn't understand what was going on. It's been decades since I ever had to take Angela to the hospital. She's a married woman with two children - she hardly needs her mum with her now!

Laugh

"When my daughter contacted the hospital, she asked them to check the date of birth of the child in question.

"The operator came back and said, 'Yes, its May 10, 1947'"

"Angela said 'Does that ring any bells with you?' and the operator just read out the date again. The child would have been 56!

"We've all had a right laugh over it. I can hardly remember Angela having her tonsils out because she was only six.

"The ear, nose and throat specialist who was to carry out the operation would not have been born when Angela had them removed.

"It's a mystery how this has happened - I know the NHS has problems with sending the right information out, but this is ridiculous."

Mum, Angela, said she was amazed.

"When mum showed me the letter I was mystified," she said.

"I couldn't believe an appointment had been arranged for me 50 years late.

"When I contacted them to check that I was supposed to be the child, the receptionist said that I was. My date of birth didn't register with her that anything was unusual.

"It's hilarious, but slightly worrying they can get things so wrong."

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Alexandra, admitted there had been a mistake.

"The letter was sent as a result of a clerical error. We have written to the family apologising for any confusion caused."