An NHS patient was horrified after being told her examination was delayed by a doctor attending to a private patient.

Grandmother Janet Turpin, 44, had fasted for more than 24 hours and stripped to a gown to prepare for a barium enema at St Luke's Hospital, Bradford.

But after an hour's wait, she was informed there would be more delays as the consultant had left for an appointment at the Yorkshire Clinic in Cottingley.

A spokesman for Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust said the doctor concerned had been covering for a sick colleague at St Luke's Hospital but had to meet prior engagements elsewhere.

A diabetic, Mrs Turpin from Wyke said she could not wait for him to return as she physically needed to eat.

"You expect to be a bit late, but I couldn't have gone on for much longer," she said.

"If the nurse had said it was an emergency, I wouldn't have minded, but to be blatantly told that he was going to see a private patient is absolutely disgusting."

Her sister who accompanied her to hospital, Liane Berry, said Mrs Turpin had suffered from two strokes, angina and panic attacks as well as being diabetic.

She said: "Her blood sugar level was low as she hadn't eaten and she could have gone hypoglycemic which can lead to a coma. But I think she was more upset that she had been told the doctor had gone to the Yorkshire Clinic."

The Bradford hospital spokesman today urged Mrs Turpin to get in touch and re-arrange an appointment for within the next fortnight.

He said: "Obviously, the trust regrets any inconvenience and the delay to Mrs Turpin's appointment. This was triggered by the sudden illness of the person who was due to oversee the clinic. We were faced with the option of cancelling it, but we pulled out all the stops to try and get through the list of patients."

The remaining patients chose to stay for examinations despite delays, he added.