HOSPITAL bosses have apologised after a former soldier was left waiting for five hours without being given pain relief.

David Maynard, 57, from Blackburn, said his ‘head felt like it was in a vice’ after undergoing an operation on his back, but claimed staff at the Royal Blackburn Hospital failed to give him basic care and attention.

The dad-of-two had a disc removed from his back at the private Fulwood Hospital in Preston on June 13, and was told to contact his consultant if he started getting headaches, which can be a sign of complications.

He started experiencing a severe headache on June 23, and was told to go to the Royal Blackburn, where he was seen by a doctor, who rang the Fulwood Hospital for advice.

Mr Maynard, who is registered disabled after a separate operation on his stomach, has served in the Royal Green Jackets and volunteered with St John Ambulance.

He said: “The Fulwood told the doctor to prescribe pain killers and do an MRI scan. I had the scan but never got any painkillers.

“I was there about five hours and asked the nurse three times, but I was never even told what was happening. My head still felt like it was in a vice and in the end I said I was leaving. I wasn’t rude to anyone but I refused to go back in and now I’m seeing a specialist at the Royal Preston. I wouldn’t go back to Blackburn. The way I was treated was disgusting and it’s no wonder the hospital has got a bad name.”

He said the headache gradually subsided after he left the hospital.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Royal Blackburn, has been in special measures for the last year, partly due to staff shortages and other problems within the emergency department.

But the trust was released from special measures earlier this month, with inspectors acknowledging progress had been made They stressed more improvements are needed.

Chief nurse Chris Pearson said: “We are very sorry that Mr Maynard feels his treatment wasn’t of the standard we would aim to deliver. Mr Maynard contacted the Trust on 30th June and his complaint is currently being fully investigated.”