HEALTH bosses agreed a five-figure compensation settlement with a Bristol man after staff at Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital failed to spot he had broken a middle finger in a cycling accident.

Graphic designer James Symonds feared he would never work again after corrective surgery was required to try to repair the damage following a month of “agony”.

A metal plate was inserted to try to realign the bone after doctors at Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) discovered he had fractured and displaced his right middle finger.

However, it was unsuccessful.

He will not regain full movement in the digit, and may even need the bones fusing.

That would leave his finger permanently clawed, meaning he would struggle with everyday tasks and his current work, which requires him to draw.

Mr Symonds says he was told at the Royal Gwent that he had a fractured collar-bone and a mild head injury, but his fingers were not broken, after he fell off his bike in a Newport park in July 2011.

One painful month later the damage was discovered at the BRI.

He instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell to find out if more could have been done to diagnose the broken bone. It said it found the A&E department failed to investigate the potential injury, while the radiology department only X-rayed the top of his finger, missing the fracture below.

“Despite his middle finger being swollen and causing a significant amount of pain, staff in two departments failed to fully assess the damage,” said specialist lawyer Andrew Bowman.

“This resulted in the injury becoming far worse than it would have been if treated straightaway.”

A health board spokesman said: “We apologise to Mr Symonds unreservedly.

“Radiology procedures have been reviewed and lessons learned.”