Elderly woman sent home from hospital at 2am (From Warrington Guardian)

Elderly woman sent home from hospital at 2am

7:30am Thursday 26th April 2012 in News

Eileen Hansbury

THE daughter of an 89-year-old dementia sufferer sent home from Warrington Hospital at 2am has hit out at her treatment.

The 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.

And staff at one care home in the town say it is still a problem today.

Marjorie Hamblin, whose mum Eileen Hansbury died earlier this month aged 89, said she wants to see action to stop it from happening to anyone else.

The grandma-of-three, who lived in Warrington all her life, served with NAAFI, working in the canteen to support troops during the Second World War while her husband, chief petty officer William Hansbury, served with the Royal Navy.

She 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 Eileen had dementia but suspected she had broken her nose and took her to hospital to be checked over.

After thinking she would be staying in overnight, Marjorie, who now lives in London, was stunned to find her mum had been discharged in the early hours.

She said: “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.

“How is that the case when he was asleep and comfortable in bed at 2am?

“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.”

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 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.

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.”