AN IRAQ war veteran was sent home in pain from two Yorkshire hospitals without treatment for two broken elbows because it was a bank holiday.
John Mothersdale, 30, suffered the injuries in a mountain biking accident on Good Friday.
Medics at Scarborough Hospital told him to take paracetemol and turned him away after x-rays confirmed his fractures because their fracture clinic was closed for the holiday.
His father later took him to York District Hospital in the hope of at least getting a prescription for painkillers but staff just told him to return to Scarborough the following Tuesday.
Once the fracture clinic reopened, it was only then the former combat driver was given painkillers and had his arms put in proper slings.
Mary Lomas, duty manager at York Hospital, said: "If he needed to be admitted he would have been admitted. It was a medical decision that he did not need to be."
On-call manager at Scarborough Hospital Chris Whilde said the fracture clinic was always closed at weekends, and he would expect it also to be shut on Bank Holidays.
Full story in tomorrow's Yorkshire Post.
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