BackPatients are being sent home alone, afraid and unable to cope and in some cases without their relatives or carers being told, resulting in devastating consequences, according to a report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman published this week.
The report highlights cases investigated by the Ombudsman service where people have been discharged from hospital before they are fit to leave or without making sure they can cope on their return home.
Last year the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman saw a 36% increase in discharge related investigations. These found that people’s deaths or suffering could have been prevented if hospitals carried out the right checks before discharging people.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Julie Mellor said:
‘Our investigations have found that some of the most vulnerable patients, including frail and older people, are enduring harrowing ordeals when they leave hospital.
‘Poor planning, coordination and communication between hospital staff and between health and social care services are failing patients, compromising their safety and dignity.
‘Health and social care leaders must work harder to uncover why ten years of guidance to prevent unsafe discharge is not being followed, causing misery and distress for patients, families and carers.’
Other cases included in the report reveal that:
- An elderly man with vascular dementia and a personality disorder was discharged but ended up being locked on a psychiatric ward for one year because his local authority refused to fund a dementia care home for him.
- A 93-year-old woman was left in her bed at home for over 12 hours after she had soiled herself because hospital staff across two departments failed to communicate properly about her discharge from hospital, leaving her without mobility support.
Source: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
