A man suffering from severe, incurable pain has claimed NHS staff failed to address his illness quickly, leaving his symptoms to take over his life.

Gary Weston, 54, of Honeycroft, Loughton, was a Tube driver until he fell ill with dystonia, a movement disorder that causes him intense pain and makes it difficult for him to control movement and speech. 

Mr Weston and his mother Margaret, 80, feel that staff at Whipps Cross and Princess Alexandra hospitals failed to treat his dystonia efficiently after he was diagnosed early last year, and it took months for him to receive suitable treatment at a specialist London hospital.

He said: “Basically, the treatment at both hospitals round here, I was messed about all the time.

“If they had looked into my symptoms sooner, they could have started acting on them and it might not have gotten as severe as it did.

“Both hospitals, I was not treated properly.”

Epping Forest Guardian:

Mr Weston claims NHS staff failed to treat his condition properly

When attending the Princess Alexandra in May 2014, Mr Weston claims he was promised a specialist doctor who never arrived, despite the crippling pain he was in.

In April 2014 he was also discharged from Whipps Cross, only to be re-admitted to a ward for dementia patients, a completely separate and different condition.

Ms Weston said: “Without a doubt, he should never, ever have been put in that ward.

“It was very, very wrong.

“He did not have dementia and there was a bed shortage, but they should never have discharged him in the first place.”

Mr Weston also claims that on other occasions, staff packed his bags while he was asleep before waking him and telling him he was discharged.

In July, he was eventually submitted to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square, London, where he was treated for 11 weeks.

Now, Mr Weston and his mother say NHS staff and the public need better education about dystonia to recognise the symptoms and understand the pain people feel.

Ms Weston said: “A lot of people feel that they are sort of stigmatised - the thing is they feel uncomfortable.

“If the public does not understand, they can be spiteful.

“He has now got the confidence to go out quite a bit on his own.

“It is important that people are able to get out and get on with their lives as much as they can.

“They are important people and you just look behind the condition at the people inside.”

A year after being diagnosed with dystonia, Mr Weston says that he still has difficulties but he is more positive after receiving specialised care.

He said: “I have still got the movement disorder, they cannot cure that but they can manage.

“There is the pain and they try and give me a life I can live as best as I can do.

“I have got to put up with pain and discomfort but I have got a life, whereas last year I did not have a life.”

In a new series on the NHS, the Guardian will feature experiences of patients, their families and staff of treatment provided across east London and west Essex. As A&Es continue to struggle with demand and politicians argue over the future of healthcare, we will publish first-hand accounts, features and news stories on the latest developments. We want to hear from you if you have something to say about your local hospital, GP surgery, or clinic. Click here for contact details of reporters covering your area. Alternatively, you can submit a story here.