The son of Sylvia Lofthouse, 92, complained to staff about the way she was treated during her stay at Royal Preston Hospital.

Kim Lofthouse, of Ramsey Avenue, also claims that his mother's broken hip – sustained in a fall at home – went undetected for 11 days.

Mrs Lofthouse was originally admitted when she fell out of bed and bumped her head. She was discharged and five days later she fell out of bed again.

After a third fall, Mrs Lofthouse was admitted to hospital and, during her five-day stay at the hospital, Mrs Lofthouse was moved four times, her son claims. He says he asked for a bedside rail to be fitted to prevent further falls but nurses advised him they were dangerous and that it would also be unsafe to install one at their home.

Mrs Lofthouse was discharged from hospital after five days having had no treatment for a urinary infection. Within days, she fell out of bed again and broke her hip.

Mr Lofthouse said: "Despite very obvious symptoms and the classic circumstances of her fall, it took medical staff 11 days to diagnose her condition and during this period she was regularly being manipulated in bed and even forced to walk around the ward, often screaming in agony."

Mr Lofthouse, 52, said some days after the operation his mother was observed to be a danger to herself. She was confused and the infection had still not been addressed.

Mr Lofthouse said: "She was left unattended in a chair without any physical protection, resulting in her falling yet again."

His mother is now out of hospital.

A spokesman for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said an initial scan on Mrs Lofthouse's hip was inconclusive, so a second scan was performed.

"Mr Lofthouse has not lodged a formal complaint about this. However, some concerns about the care of his mother were discussed at a series of meetings. His comments were taken very seriously and there were some issues which needed addressing and a number of actions were agreed and introduced."

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