We have apologised to Mrs Jones and we regret that it was not diagnosed on her first visit but it is not right to attach any blame to staff

Wrexham Maelor Hospital spokesman

But doctors were told by the 57-year-old's son that she was found with a bottle of wine and that she had once been a heavy drinker.

A series of tests were made, but no brain scan was carried out and she was sent home.

When Mrs Jones was re-admitted the following day suffering from disorientation, the brain haemorrhage was detected.

Doctors had been informed that she may have suffered a fall four days before she attended A&E on 4 June last year.

A spokesman for the hospital which issued an apology to Mrs Jones, insisted the delay in her treatment "did not make much difference to her condition".

Ten months on from the incident, Mrs Jones still suffers from severe headaches.

Andy Scotson: 'Initial tests were normal'

peaking to a north Wales newspaper, she said: "I am fuming that they are making me out to be some kind of alcoholic or wino."

"I am really angry about the way I was treated."

Hospital spokesman Andy Scotson said staff had carried out numerous neurological tests.

They found no cause to suspect brain injury and concluded Mrs Jones' occasional drowsiness was due to alcohol.

She was told to go home and come back the following day for treatment to a broken shoulder.

Severe headaches

Mr Scotson said that when she returned, a brain scan was carried out and she was taken to Hope Hospital in Salford, Greater Manchester, for surgery to treat a brain haemorrhage.

He added the trust had met with the victim and her family and he insisted staff were not to blame for the error.

"Doctors did a full examination that included checking her cerebral nervous system, peripheral nervous system and a Glasgow coma score (a visual, verbal and motor reponse test)," he said.

"All of those tests came out absolutely normal and she was not displaying any symptoms of neurological problems.

"She had not shown any symptoms to make staff believe there was any neurological damage.

"Added to that was her son's comments that she was found in bed with a bottle of wine."

He added: "We have apologised to Mrs Jones and we regret that it was not diagnosed on her first visit but it is not right to attach any blame to staff."