Ed Sheeran: Hospital reviews policy after singer was 'asked for selfies' during visit for broken wrist

Singer broke his arm in a bicycle accident last year

Ed Sheeran sporting his cast at the Q Awards (Richard Young/Rex)

A hospital launched a review of care for "high profile patients" after Ed Sheeran was allegedly asked to pose for selfies by members of staff when he was being treated for a broken arm.

The singer broke his right wrist and left elbow in a bicycle accident in October, which meant that he had to pull out of a number of dates of his Asian tour.

While he was at the hospital, he was reportedly asked to sign autographs and pose for selfies by some Ipswich Hospital staff members after being admitted.

A spokeswoman for Ipswich Hospital told the BBC that the review, which looked into “confidentiality, privacy or the patient and their loved ones and practical considerations”, started the following month.

The hospital said its policies and protocols were reviewed every one to three years and its policy for “high profile patients” was due for a review in November.

On October 16 Sheeran posted on Instagram: “A visit to my doctors confirmed fractures in my right wrist and left elbow that will leave me unable to perform live concerts for the immediate future.

“I’m waiting to see how the healing progresses. Please stay tuned for more details. PS – Ed isn’t typing this as he has both arms casted/ bandaged.”

He later told Jonathan Ross that doctors advised him to not play through the pain. “I tried to say ‘I’ll carry on doing shows’, but they said if I put any more stress on it, I might not be able to play (guitar) again so it’s good to be sensible,” he said.

He added: “ I was in Suffolk. The thing is, when it happened, I got up and was like, ‘That hurt’ and then cycled to the pub. Went home, went to sleep and then woke up at five o’clock’ in the morning in a lot of pain. And then went to hospital.

“I don’t think I’m going to cycle for a while… I’m a quite clumsy guy anyway.”

Sheeran has now returned to touring, and most recently performed a rescheduled date in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday 8 April.

The Independent has contacted Sheeran's representative for comment.