Anger as 85-year-old uprooted from hospital bed at 2.00am

Mary Smith with her daughter, Councillor Jean Ashworth

Rochdale Councillor Jean Ashworth has spoken of her anger after her 85-year-old mother was uprooted from a hospital bed at 2.00am - because it was needed for another patient.

Mary Smith was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital on Thursday 5 May where she was treated and fitted with an emergency pace maker.

In the early hours of Monday 9 May morning, Mrs Smith was woken and moved because the bed was needed – in total she was moved three times. It was 2.30pm before Mrs Smith was settled on a new ward.

Councillor Ashworth, a long time health campaigner, said: “The staff were wonderful – I know it is not their fault. They have to do it. They have to do it every day.

“It is like a production line.

“An 85-year-old lady being woken up at 2.00am is horrendous.

“The Trust has got so much to answer for.

“It is just horrendous; it has got to be highlighted.

“I just worry now that they will throw her out to soon because they need the bed.”

“My mum needs care at the end of the day.

“It is disgraceful. From 2.00am she was moved three times, they finally found her a bed at 2.30pm. This is such a long time and she hadn’t slept.”

Councillor Ashworth continued: “People shouldn’t have to worry when their elderly relatives go into hospital. They shouldn’t have to worry about where they are going to end up.”

A spokesman for The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We take all comments about our standard of care and patient experience very seriously.

“If patients and relatives have any comments or concerns about their care, the most effective way to address these is by raising it directly with ward or departmental staff so that action can be taken there and then. Alternatively the PALS office is available to provide advice and support.

“Although from time to time things do go wrong, in this Trust only 0.049% of patient episodes result in a complaint.

“A key element of improving our services is the ongoing engagement with and feedback from patients, relatives and the public. This is done through a variety of methods including handheld patient feedback devices, patient surveys and patient stories.”