GRANDMOTHER Edith Williams is suing the Countess of Chester hospital after she went in a visitor but came out a patient.

Mrs Williams, 68, was sitting at the bedside of her husband Howard, recovering from a knee-replacement operation on ward 47, when she was injured in an accident for which the hospital has admitted responsibility.

The grandmother-of-four was at the side of her 74-year-old husband's bed when he pulled on a hoist designed to help him manoeuvre and the mechanism sprang into her face after breaking free from its mounting.

Countess bosses admit the accident was caused because the pull bar was incorrectly fitted.

Blood oozed from a deep cut to Mrs Williams's head and she was taken to the accident and emergency unit for nine stitches.

She has been told the wound will leave a scar. Her left eye was bruised and she still feels dazed.

Mrs Williams, of Thackeray Towers, Newtown, Chester, who has instructed Manchester-based Stripes Solicitors to take legal action against the Countess, said: 'I went funny. I put my hand on my head and I thought, oh my God. I could feel the vein and there was blood everywhere.

'I only went to visit for about 10 minutes or quarter-of-an-hour and I ended up as one of the patients.'

She added: 'My husband had complained about this hoist to the staff. He told them it was not safe. It was loose.'

She said two sisters from the hospital visited her at her home on Thursday morning after the previous day's calamity.

Mrs Williams said: 'They were full of apologies, but I told them I'm taking it further.

'They can't do enough for me now. They are sending a taxi for me to go to the chiropodist, a taxi for me to go and see Howard when he gets transferred to Ellesmere Port.

'I'm not satisfied. I do want compensation. They ought to give me something for this.'

The Countess recently retained its three-star status as a top performing hospital.

Mrs Williams, who says she was 'messed around' on the day of her husband's operation, said: 'After what I have experienced since my husband was on that ward, I would not give them one.'

Due to have a minor operation at the Countess in September, she also feels concerned what sort of care she will receive.

Retired school caretaker Mr Williams, originally from South Wales, told The Chronicle from his hospital ward he had queried whether the hoist was secure.

'I asked them 'is it all right?'. He said 'it's ok'. He should have double-checked it.'

Countess spokeswoman Lorna Jones said: 'We apologise unreservedly for this incident, which happened as a result of a mistake in the fitting of a pull bar. We are immediately putting measures into place to make sure that such a mistake will not occur again.'