Medway doctors failed to spot Chatham pensioner Alan Hindlet's broken leg

Published: 00:01, 02 June 2014

A pensioner spent three months hobbling around on a fractured leg after medical professionals dismissed it as an infection.

Alan Hindlet fell while walking up the outdoor steps to his home in Chatham High Street in February.

After a few days of ongoing throbbing and swelling in his left leg, the 77-year-old went to Medway Maritime Hospital's A&E department and was transferred to a GP at on-site MedOCC.

Alan Hindlet recovers at home in Chatham after suffering a fractured leg

Mr Hindlet said: "I said to the doctor, 'could anything be broken?' but he told me it was just cellulitis and gave me some codeine for the pain."

Cellulitis is an infection of the skin that causes pain and swelling.

The father-of-one added: "I had to keep going back and forth over a few days and they scanned for blood clots, put a drip in my arm and I had to self-inject at home as well.

"When the scan results came back and they could see I didn't have any clots, they said there was nothing more they could do.

"For the first 12 or so days I couldn't leave the house, and after that it was a real struggle to get up and down the stairs."

Alan Hindlet on the stairs where he fell at home

From the beginning of March until last week, Mr Hindlet was hobbling about on his bad leg as best he could and the swelling in his leg began to reduce.

But with his ankle still inflamed he went to his GP for another opinion.

Widowed Mr Hindlet said: "He immediately said I needed an X-ray and I was brought a wheelchair and sent down to the hospital again.

"Afterwards, the doctor said to me 'well the bad news is you fractured your leg, but the good news is it's mended itself'.

"I said I thought it was absolutely disgusting it wasn't picked up on at the time and have written a letter of complaint. I had different doctors and nurses every time I went to MedOCC and none of them would give me an X-ray.

"I would just advise other people to get another opinion. I was lucky my fracture healed itself properly, but it could have created complications."