An elderly man has endured weeks of pain and sleepless nights after an A&E doctor failed to diagnose torn tendons in his shoulder.

Robert Henderson, 70, from Ewell Village, said he slipped on leaves while stepping out of his car in Scotland and went to A&E at Epsom Hospital as soon as he got back.

On January 12, Mr Henderson said he was seen by a doctor who moved his arm to the side and front and said he should go home and take painkillers.

He said: "I told the doctor about the internal pain in my shoulder and elbow and asked if it should be x-rayed or scanned.

"He again told me to go home and rest."

He added: "They were telling me I was an old fart and to have a cup of tea or a pill, that’s the impression I got."

Two days later Mr Henderson visited his doctor at Bourne Hall Health Centre who also told him to take painkillers.

But, a week later, a second doctor sent him for an x-ray and scan at Epsom Hospital which identified the torn tendons and led to an operation at Ashtead Hospital in March.

Mr Henderson, who cares for his 43-year-old disabled son, said being diagnosed straightaway would have saved him weeks of pain and difficulty.

He said: "I feel very bad about it because I fell on January 8 and I’m still going through pain.

"The pain just goes through you.

"I fell over and it started to get worse and worse."

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has issued an apology to Mr Henderson who has filed a formal complaint about the delay.

Dr Ruth Charlton, joint medical director at the trust, said: "We take the care and timely diagnosis of all our patients very seriously, and would like to apologise to Mr Henderson for the delay caused to the diagnosis of his shoulder injury, following his visit to our accident and emergency department at Epsom Hospital in January of this year.

"Mr Henderson has submitted a formal complaint about the delay caused to his diagnosis, and we will continue to work with him to ensure that his issues are resolved and we will do all we can to prevent a similar incident happening again in the future."