A BOLTON grandmother whose gall bladder operation has been cancelled twice at the last minute, has hit out at Tony Blair's health service promises.

Mrs Joan Standish was in tears after the operation to remove the diseased organ was cancelled again because of a shortage of beds at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The 62-year-old said: "I thought patients wouldn't have to keep waiting like this anymore and Tony Blair had come up with the idea of referring people like me to a private ward.

"It's just not good enough and I feel very angry with that man at Number 10.

"I don't know what to do any more because I'm in such bad pain and every time I eat a meal I'm sick.''

The grandmother-of-eight, who lives in Enfield Close, should have had her operation in June after a consultation with a surgeon in April.

But the operation was cancelled because of a lack of beds and re-booked for this week when she was told it could not go ahead again for the same reason.

Mrs Standish is especially anxious to have the operation as she also has heart problems and needs to have an endoscopy to check for bowel cancer.

She explained: "I've already had cancer twice and there's a history of it in my family. I'm due to have the endoscopy at the same time as the gall bladder is removed. "I feel it's dangerous to keep cancelling the operation and my heart specialist has told me all my health problems should improve once the gall bladder has gone.''

Director of Operations at the Royal Bolton Hospital, Beverley Andrew, said: "Unfortunately we're having difficulties with beds at the moment due to pressure of emergency admissions.

"We have had to cancel some non-urgent admissions and I know it is difficult for patients already waiting.

"Someone from the hospital will call Mrs Standish to explain why her operation was cancelled.

"We are obviously sorry for what has happened and will arrange another date for her to come to the hospital.''

Bolton Hospital NHS Trust ranked worst in performance tables released last month for people being admitted after suffering heart attacks.

Health chiefs promised to investigate after the Trust was also rated poorly for people dying following surgery.

Waiting times for accident and emergency were average and more than 70pc of hospital patients are seen within 13 weeks of referral and no-one waited more than 18 months for an appointment.

The Royal Bolton Hospital will be getting two extra high dependency beds as part of plans to boost critical care in hospitals in time for winter which will take the total to six in addition to seven intensive care beds.