A host of hospital horror stories shared at a health review meeting has revealed how desperately the people of Wycombe want emergency services returned to the town.

A teenager having to sleep with a broken wrist, a man who spent the night with fractured fingers and a lady being asked to walk with a broken knee due to a lack of wheelchairs are just some of the shocking experiences that people have had at Wycombe Hospital and Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Residents were given a forum to share their views and experiences at the health review meeting at Buckinghamshire New University, organised by Wycombe District Council, last Wednesday.

Facilities that are open later, more highly-trained triage nurses and better communication were just some of the suggestions put forward after the current facilities were lambasted for not being “fit for purpose”.

Elizabeth Johncock, speaking on behalf of Flackwell Heath Residents’ Association, is a retired nurse and worked at Wycombe Hospital for 24 years.

Ms Johncock said that one of the members of the association took her 16-year-old son to Stoke Mandeville after he injured his wrist at school.

The pair arrived at Stoke Mandeville’s A and E unit at 4.30pm. After being sent to X-ray it was confirmed at 6.45pm that the teenager would need a cast because he had a fracture.

However, the plaster technician went home at 5pm and the young boy was told to return the following day.

Ms Johncock said: “When he returned the next day it took three hours to put a cast on. His mother missed half a day of work and she’s at Amersham Hospital and they had to get a nurse in to cover her duties.

“This isn’t good practice for an acute emergency centre - that there’s no plastic technician on.

“The hospitals... are not fit for purpose and I am in favour of them both being pulled down and a new one being built at the end of the (A)404, like was mooted in the past.”

Councillor Jean Teesdale recounted a story after her neighbour had fallen and broken her knee.

The pair went to Wycombe Hospital’s Minor Injuries Unit (MIU).

Councillor Teesdale said: “They (the staff) asked her if she could walk across to the X-ray in the main building at Wycombe Hospital, which as you know is quite a way."

She added: "I was absolutely staggered because I assumed that this new unit would have an X-ray in there.”

Councillor Teesdale said the whole experience lasted for nine hours and her friend was told she would need an operation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Another gentleman who fractured his fingers arrived at Wycombe Hospital at 6.30pm and was told that the X-ray unit closes at 10pm, so he could “take his chances or go to Stoke”.

He waited and at 10pm the unit was closed so he had to go home and return the next day.

While many people commended clinical staff, poor administration and a lack of communication were heavily criticised.

In response to the concerns raised, Wycombe’s MP Steve Baker said: “If I could just get you A and E back, I would just get you A and E back but I can’t do it.”

Instead, the Conservative representative pointed towards a report he commissioned which highlighted how the town’s hospital could be improved by incremental changes.