A man said he has been left depressed after Watford General Hospital failed to pick up two fractures in his hip that has left him out of work for months.

Paul Barrett, 57, from Hemel Hempstead, said the error has cost him thousands and he is calling for compensation. 

He said: “I’m depressed, really bad. I was working six days a week, earning roughly £1,100, and then to not work for nearly four months. I’ve lost clients.”

Watford Observer: Paul Barrett said he has been left depressed because he has been unable to work for nearly four months. Paul Barrett said he has been left depressed because he has been unable to work for nearly four months. (Image: Paul Barrett)

A West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson said it is sorry to hear about Mr Barrett’s experience.

Mr Barrett, a self-employed plasterer, went to the hospital’s emergency department on Sunday, May 28, after he had a fall.

He claims that following an X-ray he was told there was no damage or breaks and he was given two crutches to use and could go home.

Twelve weeks later, still with intense pain and after he paid for physio, he decided to fork out £640 for an MRI scan, which found he had two fractures in his hip.

He went back to the hospital on the same day (September 1) where the doctor apologised on behalf of the department for missing the fractures.

Mr Barrett told the Watford Observer he has been fast tracked to see a physio, but he feels he has been badly let down by the hospital.

He added: “I was also told by a doctor at St Albans Hospital in a follow-up appointment I would need an operation, then another one said I wouldn’t. It’s so confusing.”

With the cost of private appointments and the use of cabs, he estimates he has spent nearly £1,500.

He is calling for the hospital to compensate him financially for the money he has spent and for what he has lost in earnings, as well as a formal apology.

He said: “The hospital needs to be named and shamed. If I went to someone’s house and mucked it up, I would be back the next day and fix it. If I didn’t go back, I would get a bad name.”

Mr Barrett has made a complaint via the hospital’s PALS service.

The trust’s spokesperson said: “Our complaints and serious incident teams are investigating, and we will provide Mr Barrett with updates directly.”