A HEALTH trust was forced to apologise for leaving a 93-year-old one-legged great grandmother immobile after sending her the wrong type of wheelchair.

Annie Pike, who lives alone in sheltered accommodation in Talywain, Pontypool, was left "embarrassed and upset" when her broken self-propelled wheelchair was replaced with one that someone else has to push.

When her daughter Frances Kingsbury contacted Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, who supplied the chair, she claims she was told they would not supply a self-propelled model because of her mother's age.

But after the Argus contacted the trust, a spokeswoman admitted it was an error, and agreed to send a new self-propelling wheelchair to Mrs Pike within the next week.

She said apologised to Mrs Pike and her family for the "distress and inconvenience" caused.

Mrs Kingsbury said: "The trust weren't going to do anything to help until the Argus got involved, so we are extremely grateful. Mum is relieved and we are all delighted."

Mrs Pike, who has four children, six grand children and 10 great grand children, had her left leg amputated six years ago after complications during an operation to improve circulation.

After ten months recuperating in St Woolos hospital, Newport, she moved into her sheltered home.

But despite her age and disability, Mrs Pike was able to live independently, using her self-propelled wheelchair to get around.

Last week her chair broke, but instead of replacing it, the wheelchair department at Rookwood specialist hospital in Cardiff sent a 'transit' model - that someone else has to push.

Mrs Pike said: "I had been getting about fine with my old chair. I do my own cooking and cleaning. I was really upset and felt like I'd lost my independence."

Mrs Kingsbury hired her mother a self-propelled wheelchair so she could move herself around, and Mrs Pike's GP at Abersychan Surgery e-mailed Rookwood asking them to urgently replace the wheelchair.

Mrs Kingsbury said: "They seemed happy to leave my mother with no means of mobility. She wouldn't even have been able to get to the toilet. I was fuming."