Grant Pearson is out of action for weeks as he recovers from a broken leg - and a nightmare hospital experience.
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The South West Rocks resident and owner of G-Man Sushi, came off his mountain bike on Gregory Street on Monday, October 23.
He hit a pole and slammed into the pavement, fracturing his right distal femur.
"The ambulance took me to Kempsey [because] they couldn't get me into Port [Macquarie]," he said of his rush to hospital.
He was told Port Macquarie Base Hospital (PMBH) was "overloaded and chaotic". Yet the surgery he required could not be performed at Kempsey District Hospital (KDH).
He remained in Kempsey's emergency department for two nights, in extreme pain, waiting to be transferred.
"They (the KDH staff) were so good to me. They kept apologising, as they weren't sure when Port would accept me."
Mr Pearson sought legal help to find out the reason for the delay.
He said his lawyer contacted a senior manager at PMBH and was told there was an issue with bed availability, and that he "wasn't on the list".
"My lawyer went on to explain my situation; being a local businessman and single dad who couldn't get into the hospital for a broken leg."
On Wednesday, two days after his accident, Mr Pearson was transferred to Port Macquarie, where he was forced to wait yet again.
"The surgeon came straight up to me when I got to Port and said 'mate, we were expecting you yesterday'."
Mr Pearson was then told they could not operate because he had been put on blood thinners. He would have to wait another night.
"Three days in bed with a serious fracture... the pain [was] unbearable," he said.
In a statement to the Macleay Argus, a spokesperson for the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) said patients awaiting surgery are triaged according to clinical need, closely monitored, and provided with appropriate pain management.
"We acknowledge and apologise for the distress this patient has experienced due to the delay in receiving his surgery," said the spokesperson.
"While we are unable to comment on individual patient care, we can assure the community that Kempsey District Hospital and Port Macquarie Base Hospital work closely together in a networked arrangement to deliver timely, compassionate, and patient-centred care."
As the owner of a local business that requires him to be on his feet, Mr Pearson now faces being out of work.
"I do not have any income coming in for six weeks, as I'm physically unable to walk."
He believes his recovery time, and the time the doors to his shop will be closed, could have been shorter.
