A GRANDFATHER who cut his arm so badly the bone was exposed had an operation cancelled three times in four days because hospital staff had to perform a 'juggling act' with patients.

Stan Davies, 61, who lives in Saughall with his wife, Pat, fell on to a sharp metal post in his workshop, cutting his arm open. Bone could be seen through the gaping, 6in laceration which was pouring with blood.

An ambulance took Mr Davies to the Countess of Chester Hospital but once there he had to wait four days before it was operated on and the procedure was cancelled three times.

The father-of-two and grandparent said: 'After an accident and emergency examination of my injury, I was told I would need an immediate operation, including a skin graft.

'But the operation did not happen on Friday and was cancelled Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which was a bank holiday. It was horrible because as I was in preparation for the operation I couldn't eat or drink.

'I was told over 20 other operations had been cancelled that weekend.'

Mr Davies says he was told by surgeons a lack of resources had delayed the urgent operation and they recommended he complain. But after making a verbal complaint a member of hospital management said other patients had a more urgent need for surgery, pushing him down the list.

He said: 'Now we know how the NHS saves money, as I have experienced the Countess of Chester does not make sufficient resources available to handle emergencies over a bank holiday weekend.

'I have no fault with hospital staff, the medical care in A&E and in the clinic was excellent, but I do not understand why management and medical teams have differing opinions as to why I had to wait.'

Mr Davies returned to work as a chartered surveyor in Runcorn yesterday, after being off for four weeks.

Mike Phelan, operations director at the hospital, said: 'Mr Davies will have been considered a priority when he

came in but as more patients were admitted he will have moved down the list if they had more immediate problems. What has happened here is not that unusual, we have to perform a juggling act at times; we have an emergency weekend list because consultants have to be back in the week.

'We apologise to Mr Davies as we know this will have had an effect on him but we cannot have all the theatres open all the time.'