A 90-YEAR-OLD Leigh woman was left in a hospital corridor for almost 12 hours after having 27 stitches in a head wound.

Mrs Mary Lee was admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital early one morning after she fell and struck her head on a radiator at her Charles Street home.

Her son Ronnie Carr, of Buck Street, Leigh praised hospital staff for the attention she received but said the half-day corridor wait until a bed was available was unacceptable.

He said: "The staff were great, the medical attention was good, and I understand that the hospital staff had to rest her because of her head injury, but a woman of her age shouldn't have to wait so long."

A spokesman for the Royal Bolton Hospital said: "The last week was exceptionally busy and the Trust apologises to Mrs Lee and her family for the time she waited in the A&E department for a bed to become available.

"According to our records Mrs Lee's time in A&E was just under 12 hours, nevertheless we acknowledge that this is a very long time to have to wait. There are various measures which we will be implementing very soon which we hope will see a reduction in the time patients spend in A&E."