Man, 95, given bag instead of sling 'discharged day late with no drugs'
A 95-year-old man whose arm was put in a carrier bag instead of a sling had to wait a day to be discharged from hospital – without his medication.
When Joseph Ward, from Wednesfield, was eventually sent home from New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton he had no medication and discharge notes. And they were not delivered to his house until 10pm – causing Mr Ward to struggle to the door. Last month doctors gave Mr Ward a green bag to use as a sling as a specialised one was not available. His family paid £40 for their own.
They described the situation as awful and said since then they saw his ordeal got even worse.
Mr Ward's daughter, Jane Crutchley, said an ambulance was arranged to take him home at midday, with her sister waiting there for him.
But when Mrs Crutchley got home from work in the evening she had a phone message from the hospital asking her to collect her father, as he had been waiting since 1pm.
She said: "I telephoned the ward and said I didn't understand as my dad was supposed to have been brought home by hospital transport.
"The response I got was 'no, the message I have is that your sister phoned and said could we keep him until lunch time when she would pick him up'.
"I disagreed, saying my sister doesn't drive, has no access to transport and would never ever be able to get my dad in his home safely."
Mr Ward was finally transported home the following morning, but was left without a prescription for his chest infection.
Mrs Crutchley added: "A hospital representative delivered my father's discharge notes and medication at 10pm that night.
"How bad can it get? My 95-year-old dad, very wobbly on his legs after over two weeks almost immobilised in hospital receiving a call that late at night."
Mrs Crutchley said this came after a string of problems during her father's stay at New Cross after he had a fall at home, badly injuring his arm. Mr Ward, who suffers from heart failure, diabetes and has kidney problems, was supposed to have a Bradford sling but none were available – so staff gave him a plastic bag.
Bosses insisted it was a 'widely used and accepted practice to provide elevation' in the short term. But his daughter said there were numerous other issues including stains on sheets and a dispute over the toilet.
A spokesman from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust stated: "We are happy to meet the family to discuss any concerns they have."
