Patients awaiting X-ray and other scan results across Kent have been experiencing severe delays because of a computer glitch.

A backlog of at least two weeks has been reported by some patients whose GPs are waiting for results from hospitals across the county.

Among them is Angela Couling, from South Ashford, who attended the William Harvey Hospital with her husband Cecil, 80, on Wednesday, July 3.

They are still awaiting the results of the X-ray performed on Mr Couling to check on a painful condition in his knee.

A new computer system being implemented across the county has been blamed for the delays.

Mrs Couling, 68, said: "I think it's a pretty poor show really.

"I understand that we might not be a priority but for people who are in pain or worse, a life-threatening condition, even the extra few days wait must awful.

"In these days of computers you would have thought it would be much quicker, maybe I’m expecting too much of the NHS.

"But surely they should have put a bit more planning into this, and made sure the system can do what it's been designed to do."

A spokesman for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said: "The trust, along with hospitals across Kent and Medway, has experienced problems with a necessary delay in implementing a new, Kent-wide electronic system for X-ray and scan results.

"All hospitals had robust contingency plans in place to ensure patients could continue to receive X-rays and scans as normal.

"The slower, manual system inevitably caused some delays in reporting results for non-urgent scans and X-rays.

"Urgent and emergency patients were prioritised, which meant the delays affected non-urgent referrals.

"The new system went live a week ago and the hospitals are now making good progress working through the delays."