The partner of a man with severe breathing difficulties says she was disgusted after medical staff told him to pay for a taxi to transport him from Bishop Auckland General Hospital to Darlington for a potentially life-saving scan.

Ray Tinkler was admitted to Bishop Auckland on Sunday, April 5, because he couldn’t talk and was struggling to breathe. On Tuesday, April 7, it was decided that he needed to be scanned at Darlington and he was told to either get a friend to take him or book and pay for a taxi as an ambulance wasn’t available for him.

Read full article: Wear Valley Mercury