A CUTNALL Green man who has waited three-and-a-half years for a throat operation had it cancelled yet again with a call to his mobile phone - as he stood outside the hospital.

Chris Barrett, from Kidderminster Road, has suffered from sleepless nights for years because he cannot breathe properly and needs a tonsillectomy and further surgery to his throat.

But new national guidelines issued on January 4 put all tonsillectomies on hold until disposable equipment was available.

The move is designed to eliminate a small risk of spreading CJD, the human form of mad cow disease.

Mr Barrett was only told his appointment was cancelled after he reached the doors of Worcester Royal Infirmary on Wednesday February 21.

The lorry driver even had a pre-operative assessment two days before which gave him the green light for surgery. No-one mentioned this procedure could no longer be done.

Mr Barrett has taken three weeks of unpaid leave to recover from the planned operation.

His condition puts a strain on his heart and means he loses sleep every night.

The stress of the constant delays has raised his blood pressure so much that on three occasions it has been too high for him to have the operation.

Mr Barrett said: "I thought I was finally there and I just got ten minutes notice. The stress of it has really been getting to me."

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We offer a full apology to Mr Barrett for the distress and inconvenience following the cancellation."

She said staff did not realise Mr Barrett was to have the tonsillectomy.

Disposable equipment which will allow operations to continue safely has been ordered and cases such as Mr Barrett's have been identified and warned of the postponement, she added.