An investigation has started at a Bradford hospital after a patient recovering from minor surgery awoke to find she had fallen from bed with injuries leading to a longer stay.

Diane Appleby apparently fell from a trolley in a recovery room and spent five days, instead of five hours, in the private Yorkshire Clinic.

The 54-year-old had been admitted as an NHS patient for a procedure, with the expectation of being allowed to return home the same day.

But Miss Appleby said she fell before regaining consciousness following the surgery earlier this month.

She said when she returned home, to Wibsey Bank, Wibsey, she remained ill because of the effects of concussion.

“I went in for something minor, which should have taken five hours and end up in there for five days,” she said.

“I had the op, went to the recovery room and woke up battered and bruised and all sorts.

“The had not put the sides up and I fell off the trolley on to the floor.

“When I came around, I asked why the cot sides had no been put up, but they said they didn’t use them,” she said.

Miss Appleby has had previous surgery at Bradford Royal Infirmary and had always found cot sides had been in place following surgery.

“I am now looking at the situation with solicitors,” she said.

“If it had been an elderly person, they might not have survived.

“I still have concussion and can hardly get out of bed.”

A spokesman for the clinic, in Bradford Road, Bingley, said: “Yorkshire Clinic is aware of an incident which resulted in a patient needing to stay with us longer than expected. While we cannot comment on the specifics of the case whilst it is under investigation, we do take any complaint extremely seriously and will be dealing with it through our robust complaint procedure.

“Whilst our patient feedback shows that over 98 per cent of our patients are satisfied with their experience at our hospital, we will be reviewing our processes to ensure we maintain our high levels of patient safety and satisfaction,” he said.