Pensioner, 83, told she’s too old to see a doctor after breaking her arm

Health chiefs have been forced to apologise.

Health chiefs have been forced to apologise after a hospital told an 83-year-old woman was told she was ‘too old’ for treatment.

Susan Halbert, from Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, broke her arm in two places after she fell outside her home in April.

She was taken to Glasgow’s New Victoria Hospital by paramedics where she was told doctors would not see her because she was over the age of 65.

Paramedics took her to A&E at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where she was forced to wait four hours to get seen and another two hours to be treated.

She was given a splint and sent home.

Susan, who is still wearing a brace on her arm, told the Scottish Daily Mail that the paramedics ‘could not have been more helpful’ but said it stopped there.

She continued: ‘They took me to the Victoria and we went inside, only for the receptionist to explain that I couldn’t be seen because I was over the age of 65.

‘The paramedics were as stunned as I was. They even told me they had never heard of someone being too old for treatment before.’

She added: ‘We are all people. Whether someone is one or 101, we all deserve to be treated the same and not like second-class citizens.’

The New Victoria has a minor injuries unit (MIU) which is equipped to deal with limb injuries.

A spokesman for the help board apologised for the ‘confusion’ and said in a statement: ‘There is no upper age limit for patients at our MIUs.

‘Our MIUs can treat cuts and grazes, insect bites, minor burns, sprains and strains and limb injuries such as a broken ankle.

‘However, they are unable to treat more serious conditions such as complex fractures and this patient must have required to be seen in an accident and emergency department.

‘We are sorry for any confusion around where this patient should have been sent and that she was unhappy with the care she received.

‘We are happy to discuss this with her in more detail if she gets in touch.’