A MAN who said he had to make his own way home from hospital in his slippers while still under the influence of morphine has criticised the way he was treated.

Stephen Varty, from Ferryhill, County Durham, called an ambulance late on Saturday night after suffering from pains in his groin.

After being treated in Darlington Memorial Hospital for an infection, the 54-year-old was discharged at 6am the next day. When he asked for transport back to his house, staff said he was not eligible.

Having suffered from bladder and appendix problems in the past, Mr Varty is prescribed morphine for pain relief.

When he became ill on Saturday night, he took the morphine thinking it was a reccurance of his previous problems.

Once in the hospital, doctors gave him some strong painkillers and antibiotics.

He said: “When you take morphine, you feel drunk or drugged and I considered myself to be at risk.

“It was 6am on a Sunday morning and I was still in my slippers – how was I supposed to get home? I am the only one in my family who drives.”

After arguing with staff, Mr Varty caught a £20 taxi to his home in Ferryhill. He later phoned the hospital to apologise for the way he spoke to staff.

A hospital spokesman said: “We are sorry for any distress experienced by Mr Varty.

“It would not be appropriate for us to comment on an individual case, but we would encourage Mr Varty to contact our patient experience team if he would like to discuss this further.”