PARENTS Patrick and Treena Tovey claim that their son had to endure an agonising experience because of a communication error between hospital staff.

Jordan Tovey, nine, who was born with mild cerebral palsy, was meant to have a splint attached to his leg following an operation at the Great Western Hospital to correct defects in his right foot and hip.

Before the surgery, his foot was bent downwards, as if he was permanently walking on tip-toes.

The splint, needed to keep his leg straight, should have been wrapped around his leg from his foot to above his knee while he was still under anaesthetic.

But when he came out of surgery, his father, Patrick, 36, from Purton, noticed that the splint was missing.

Mr Tovey raised concerns, but he said he was told everything was all right.

Because the splint had not been put on, Jordan's leg bent at the knee as his muscles tensed up after the operation, which was carried out on April 28 after initial tests at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford on April 14.

Still worried, Mr Tovey raised the matter again with Jordan's nurse the morning after the operation.

Mr Tovey said: "She said the splint should have been fitted.

"She couldn't understand what had happened, and contacted the doctors."

By this time, Jordan was unable to straighten his leg. He was in a lot of pain because of the surgery, and was attached to a morphine drip, which he controlled by a hand-held switch.

According to Mr Tovey, the only way the splint could be fitted was for Jordan's leg to be forcibly straightened.

He said he had to pin his son down by his shoulders while the boy's leg was pushed straight and the splint attached that same morning.

He said: "Jordan was screaming, the look on his face was sheer horror.

"He gave himself a burst of morphine before we did it, but it still hurt.

"I hated having to do it, but it had to be done, otherwise it would have messed the operation up.

"His doctor apologised to us, saying the error had been caused by a communication problem between Oxford and Swindon. I'm not criticising individual staff, they did a great job on the operation.

"But a mistake happened somewhere along the line, and we want to know where it happened."

The Toveys have made an official complaint to GWH, asking for an investigation into the cause of the error and are in the process of writing to the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.

Chris Birdsall, spokesman for the GWH, said he was unable to comment on specific cases, but did confirm that a complaint had been received by the hospital trust. He said: "We have received an official complaint in relation to this matter.

"I cannot comment directly about the case because we are bound by rules governing patient confidentiality.

"But I can say that we will be acknowledging receipt of the complaint immediately."

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre was also unable to comment on individual cases, but a spokesman said if the Toveys complained, it would be investigated.

Jordan is now recovering well from the operation.