That's the verdict of a man who clocked up 60 miles clutching his gashed fingers as he was ferried to three different hospitals

AN AGONISED man shunted between three hospitals, with blood dripping from cut fingers, after a clinical cock-up has blasted the county health shake-up.

Lester Leyland is still reeling from his blood-soaked five-hour 60-mile round trip from Kidderminster to Ronkswood, Worcester, and finally to Wordsley Hospital after three of his fingers were cut by circular blades at work last Friday morning.

He was appalled to find that under the shake-up he could not be dealt with at Kidderminster Hospital's downgraded accident and emergency unit.

Staff directed the anguished fork-lift truck driver to the minor injuries unit at Ronkswood.

But after more than two hours there, Mr Leyland, who still had not received any painkillers, was told he should have been sent to Wordsley's plastic surgery unit.

Recovering at his Worcester home after successful surgery at Wordsley, Mr Leyland stormed: "I can't believe this. I spent hours in agony because hospital staff did not know where I needed to go.

"If I had been sent from Kidderminster to Wordsley I could have been dealt with that morning.

"But instead I was sent on a wild goose chase around the Midlands in agony with blood dripping all over the place.

"My situation was not life or death but it could have been. Even with my case I'd hate to think about pensioners or young mothers going through a similar experience.

"I've no complaint against the hospital staff but the situation is a mess. I've heard stories about the effect of the health changes and now I've experienced it - it's diabolical."

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust failed to explain why Mr Leyland had been sent to Worcester instead of Wordsley Hospital.

A spokeswoman said it had not been "appropriate" to use the much-vaunted telemedicine system, which links up nurses at Kidderminster with consultants in other hospitals on screen for opinion and diagnosis.

She added: "The trust has received a complaint which is being investigated and we will respond to Mr Leyland directly."

Mr Leyland's ordeal started last Friday at about 8am when his fingers were caught and crushed in a machine at his workplace in Stourport.

Workmates released him from the woodcutting machine and he was rushed to Kidderminster where nurses bandaged up his hand but were unable to treat him further.

His workmate gave him a lift to Ronkswood, on staff advice, where after two hours in agony as the blood seeped through his bandages he was given an X-ray which confirmed no broken bones.

He finally arrived in Wordsley at about 1.30pm. After being treated with painkillers he underwent a two-and-a-half hour operation to repair damage to his fingers the following day.

His is left with permanent scarring and damage to his tendons. He is undergoing physiotherapy and hopes to return to work within two months.