Can you believe this?

[ChrisH]

I was told this rather outrageous tale the other day and wonder if anyone else has had/heard of similiar occurances. Here's the scenario:

- A lady in her late 80's, in a CH, suffering from AZ, had a fall and was taken to hospital.
- She was treated ok then sent back to the CH.
- Within a few days she was back in hospital with breathing difficulties, diagnosed with pneumonia, treated and the relatives contacted to ask them to take her back to the CH (presumably because she was bed blocking).
- Unfortunately no one was available to take her back, so the hospital decided to send her in a taxi, alone, wearing just a nightie, with no underwear (she'd been admitted at night so presumably didn't have any other clothes with her. I don't know how long she'd been in hospital).
- The taxi driver had to ask them to put some undies on her.

So are you all picking your jaws up off the ground like I did or is this normal practice if nobody is availabe to provide transport?

Chris

 

[Onlyme]

I hate to say is normal but I have heard of it happening. When Mum was discharged in midwinter no one thought to put a coat on her.

 

[scarletpauline]

Absolutely disgusting!

 

[robertjohnmills]

I'm left speechless! I'm sure there is a case for neglect against the Hospital but one would probably have to get a Lawyer to make any impact. I would certainly write to PALS and see what they have to say for themselves.

 

[tessadragon]

When my mother had a nervous breakdown she walked herself to the hospital, hallucinating, hearing voices and everything like that. The hospital took a look, then made her walk home, without even phoning us to let us know what had happened.

 

[Onlyme]

When my mother had a nervous breakdown she walked herself to the hospital, hallucinating, hearing voices and everything like that. The hospital took a look, then made her walk home, without even phoning us to let us know what had happened.

That is even worse!

 

[Jasper3]

that is shocking it dont take a rocket scientist to sort this sort of problem out

I have got to say though ! when my mum was going to be released from hospitial , they rang me to come and pick her up

 

[Linda Mc]

My neighbour 80 year who did NOT have dementia was sent home by taxi after spending 10 weeks in hospital with a very serious life threatening illness.

A taxi driver knocked at my door as no one was at home to let him in. There was snow on the ground and his wife had gone to visit him in the hospital!!!!

The driver backed up onto my drive and we managed to get him inside where he collapsed into a chair. I warmed him up made a hot drink and reassured him I knew where his wife was. He only had dressing gown and slippers on!

After a while he remembered his daughters phone number and I contacted her she was furious and was straight on to the hospital as to why he had been sent home without the family being notified don't think she ever got a satisfactory answer.

 

[Soobee]

There was a piece in our local paper last winter about a 76 year old man being sent home by taxi in snow and ice. The taxi driver said he couldn't get up the hill and so made the old man get out and left him there. He didn't tell the hospital he had done so.

The man had had a serious operation and could not walk the mile home. His daughter or neighbours found him by chance I believe, collapsed by the roadside, just in the nick of time before hypothermia killed him.

The hospital blamed the taxi driver, but they had sent him home without someone to assist him and hadn't told his daughter that he had gone by taxi.

It made me cry that anyone could do this.

 

[nocturne]

I know of similar instances. In one case the lady was dressed but she could hardly walk and no one notified her daughter. When she went to visit in the hospital that afternoon she was told her mother had been sent hme 6 hours ago. When she got to the house she found her mother collapsed on the floor. She had fallen and could not get up.
In another instance the mother of a friend of mine who is inher mid 90s was being discharged after being kept in overnight. She was only wearing a nightdress and it was January, freezing cold and with snow on the ground. Fortunatley she did not have dementia and refused to go in the taxi, insisting she would not move until her daughter was contacted and she had some clothes. The hospital staff were furious and did everything they could to get her to go and had the gall to complain about her behaviour to her daughter when she arrived a few hours later!
They don't notice vulnerable people leaving either. A friend's father had an op for cataracts. He was 87 with Alzheimers. They were supposed to ring his daughter when he was ready for discharge if earlier than the time they told her to come for him. They didn't and let him wander off into town with no idea how to get home. He took off his eyepatch and rubbed the eye which could have ruined the op. This was an hour before my friend was due to collect him. He was found by the police in the end.
In another instance an elderly neighbour with dementia, admitted because of the dementia, was able to leave the ward, walk through the car park and down the road to the bus stop wearing just her nightdress. This was during the last cold winter! It was only when she got on the bus that the driver called for assistance and anyone knew what had happened.
So, nothing as bad as your dreadful story, but the same type of behaviour over and over again. I may say my tales involve 3 different hospitals. Frightening.
Jan

 

[Sue J]

It is frightening, my mother, no longer here, was sent home by taxi from A&E at 11pm at night following a fall, the taxi driver let her walk in the dark to her door where she promptly fell again - if it was not for a neighbour she would have been there all night. I find it astonishing that they don't have a simple system on discharge - that patient is suitably dressed, that transport is appropriate, that carer/relative is aware and it is known what someone is going home to and that people shouldn't be sent home alone at night after a cut off time e.g. 9.30pm. I guess we don't have such a system because we assume professional people will consider these things, but they get overlooked for presumably many reasons, but they shouldn't so perhaps we should promote posters to be put up in A/E and assessment wards reminding/questioning staff re. discharge arrangements - a poster of someone with no underwear getting in a taxi may make some think? Would a taxi driver pick someone up from home like that? It's horifying.

 

[Fastwalker]

Sorry to hear about people problems with hospitals

My mum was taken into hospital from the care home in November wearing a thin top and skirt with no tights because her blood pressure had dropped suddenly. I met her there and because her blood pressure was back to normal we had to sit in A&E like this for nearly three hours. The A&E wasnt all that warm and she had to wear my coat and a thin hospital blanket. I had my car there which was unusual and before we got to the home at ten at night and I had rung them asking for the door to be open so I could take my mum (82) straight in. The carer who had answered the phone had obviously taken no notice because I had a job to get in.
The A&E had been very good and had arranged for someone to sit with my mum while I got my car but I wasnt impressed with the home.

 

[bethan]

and again

Should we be naming and shameing these hospitals?
In December 2009 my mum was sent home by ambulance in her nightgown to an empty house with no heating on and no food in. The ward had rung a neighbour and left a message on her answerphone asking if she had a key as mum had been admitted as an emergency and didnt have hers with her. Mum was left on the doorstep.
A friend stayed with her overnight and the following morning ( while I was driving the 7 hours it takes to get there)the home care staff called the social worker who called the GP as mum was hallucinating . She was readmitted an hour later.
Name of hospital removed to comply with Terms and Conditions 2.9 prohibiting the naming of health care providers

 

[Nanak]

Don't have words
Nanak
missing what has gone and scared of what is to come

 

[knitone]

This is unutterably depressing and is sadly indicative of how we, as a society, do not value the elderly and vulnerable.

 

[Pacucho]

I have to say this is a shocking state of affairs. If I had details of this I would make sure someone investigates to make sure this does not happen again.

 

[bethan]

Pacucho
I made a formal complaint as well as speaking to the consultant who discharged her, and eventually was contacted by the hospital with a promise of investigation and then by a matron who apologised on behalf of the hospital.
I had spoken to the ward that morning and said she shouldnt be discharged as myself or one of her sons would need to travel up to be with her when she came out. I was told there would be a ward round later that day but as mum was so poorly it was unlikely she would be discharged.
Mum had previously had very good care at the same hospital, so much depends on which ward people are on and how experienced and compassionate the Drs are.
On this occasion they had had an outbreak of norovirus the week before so were desperate for beds.
Mum had been readmitted by the time I got up there, and when I looked at her notes they had written that she lived in sheltered housing and her son lived nearby: both completely untrue! They also didnt give her any of her usual heart meds and other medication for 2 days, even though I took the dossett box in . I only found this out by looking at her notes and then querying .
Mum was in a terrible state, thinking that she was in a care home because the hospital needed the beds.
It took over a month before her mind came properly back and her MMSE was back up to 29.
Beth