A NURSE whose career was ended after she was attacked by a patient has been told she will have to live with chronic pain for the rest of her life.

Mother-of-one Louise Jago, 33, said she was thrown against a door several times and lifted up into the air by her arms before she broke free.

Ms Jago is unable to pick up her five-year-old daughter, and the pain she constantly suffers in her neck, shoulder, wrist and thumb can only be managed with painkillers and steroid injections.

She is taking legal action against Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, and blames staff shortages caused by Government-imposed NHS cutbacks for the incident.

Ms Jago was working on the neurological ward of the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, when she was attacked after helping a patient to the toilet.

The Uckfield mother, said: "The hospital authorities knew he was dangerous. He had held another nurse up against the wall and threatened to strangle her.

"There was one night he chased me down the ward threatening to kill me. We all submitted incident reports - there were two or three daily. This was going on for weeks, if not months.

"I took him to the toilet and we were chatting. Everything was fine. I was leading him back and he suddenly grabbed my arms and slammed me several times against the door. I was crying out as he lifted me by my arms so my feet were off the floor.

"I called out for help but the only other nurse on duty was on the other side of the ward and she couldn't hear my screams.

"As I was shouting out he was looking at me and repeating back my cries in parrot fashion."

Ms Jago managed to break free a couple of minutes later before raising the alarm.

She added: "I sat down and the feeling of terror and the extreme pain kicked in. I started to think of what could have happened as he was alone with me for all of that time and nobody could hear my screams."

Ms Jago said the attack in 2012 has had a life-changing impact on her. She lost her job as she was no longer physically able to carry on working as a nurse and has suffered depression.

She said: "My mother-in-law had to move in with us as I wasn't able to even pick up our then one-year-old daughter. I am in constant pain which I'm told will never go.

"I'm a 33-year-old woman with the body of a 60-year-old."

Ms Jago said frontline staff are being put at risk by Government cutbacks in the NHS.

She said: "This is happening all the time. I understand they have to save money but they are putting staff and the public's safety at risk.

"Front-line staffing levels have dropped so low yet nurses are just expected to put up with it."

A spokesman for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust said it was unable to comment as litigation is ongoing.