AN Oakwood man who has waited months for an operation on his infected prostate has this week slammed Tony Blair for the failing health service.

Barry Clifford, aged 55, of Keyes Gardens, Oakwood, has been unable to work for more than a month because of a worsening infection in his prostrate.

He has been fitted with a permanent catheter and has made frequent visits to Warrington Hospital due to the severity of the infection and serious bleeding.

It is now around six months since he was first put on the waiting list for an operation to deal with the problem.

Mr Clifford said: "All my working life I've paid money into the NHS and now when I need it I'm left to suffer like this.

"I'd like to have a one to one with Tony Blair and tell him this is just not on.

"How many other people are suffering like I am?

"I know the hospital works on priorities and there may be people worse off than me but my family and I cannot go on like this and I can't put up with this pain for much longer.

"Every time I stand up I start bleeding.

"Surely there must be some kind of priority system for people who are working. My employers are asking when I'll be back at work and why it's taking so long. I don't have the answers and I'm afraid that my job is in danger.

"There seems to be a severe lack of communication somewhere along the line.

"The hospital says it had no idea how acute the situation was, that I've been bleeding now for five weeks.

"It says that it wasn't even aware I'd been fitted with a permanent catheter.

"I've now learned that my doctor has sent a fax to the hospital explaining just how urgent this is, but the hospital says I'm looking at July or August - I just can't suffer like this for that long."

A spokesman for North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust could not comment on individual cases, but said: "The maximum waiting is currently nine months for an in-patient appointment but only a small number of patients will wait this long for their treatment.

"The waiting list is managed on the basis of clinical priority and the majority of patients are admitted within four months.

"Urgent cases are admitted within four weeks."