Thursday, April 26, 2012

#Warrington Hospital :Eileen Hansbury - Family’s fury as hospital releases dementia patient, 89, at 2am and claims it was ‘in her BEST INTERESTS’


A hospital released an 89-year-old dementia patient at 2am after claiming it was 'in her best interests'.
Health chiefs at Warrington Hospital, Cheshire, defended the move which saw Eileen Hansbury sent home, although they said they aimed to minimise out-of-hours discharges.
Mrs Hansbury, a grandmother-of-three, had been admitted after a fall at her care home.
Admitted: Eileen Hansbury, a grandmother-of-three, had been admitted to hospital after a fall at her care home
War work: Mrs Hansbury served with NAAFI, working in the canteen to support troops during the Second World War
Admitted: Eileen Hansbury, a grandmother-of-three, had been admitted to hospital after a fall at her care home. She served with NAAFI, working in the canteen to support troops during the Second World War
Her daughter Marjorie Hamblin had thought her mother would be staying in overnight, and was stunned to learn that she was sent back to the home by ambulance at 2am.
Mrs Hamblin, who now lives in London, said she wants to see action to stop it from happening to anyone else: 'I was furious. Older people should be kept in overnight to be sure.

 

'I complained to the hospital immediately and after six months I had a letter saying my mum was discharged because they thought it was in her best interests.
'They just wanted to get her out of the bed so someone else could have it.
'It's so wrong and I badly want to see something done about it.'
Care: Warrington Hospital in Cheshire defended its decision, although it said it aimed to minimise out-of-hours discharges
Care: Warrington Hospital in Cheshire defended its decision, although it said it aimed to minimise out-of-hours discharges
Mrs Hansbury, a war-time NAAFI canteen worker who died earlier this month, was taken to hospital in November last year after a fall in Green Park Care home, Penketh.
Staff did not know if she had hurt her head as she had dementia, but suspected she had broken her nose and took her to hospital to be checked over.
A Warrington Hospital spokesman said patients can be released at any time from the clinical decisions unit once it has been decided no further treatment or hospital admission is required.
He added: 'On review by the doctor, a decision was made that no further treatment was required and Mrs Hansbury could safely return to the nursing home and be more comfortable in familiar surroundings.
'The nursing home was notified and an ambulance was arranged to take her as soon as possible.
'We do everything possible to minimise discharges out of normal hours and in A&E try to assess patients as quickly as possible so they can return home if no further treatment is required.'
Warrington Hospital came under fire last week after figures revealed it was among the highest in the country for discharging patients in the middle of the night.
Five per cent of patients, which equated to 3,621 people, were discharged from the hospital between 11pm and 6am last year but hospital chiefs said the figures included women on the maternity unit who often opt to go home after giving birth.
Staff at Rosevilla Residential Home in nearby Collins Green said being discharged after midnight had caused distress to one of their residents recently and led to a complaint from the family to the hospital.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2135536/Family-s-fury-hospital-releases-dementia-patient-89-2am-claims-BEST-INTERESTS.html#ixzz1tANZnnKF