Son '˜dumbstruck' after hospital discharges his mum, 93, in middle of night

Kevin Jones, 61, of Eyre Street, Creswell, says his mum Mary, was referred to the hospital on the morning of Saturday, March 31.

After spending all day in hospital, Mr Jones believed his mum would be kept in overnight.

But to his surprise he received a call at around 1.20am on Easter Sunday informing him she was being discharged and taken back to Autumn Grange Care Home, Creswell, by ambulance.

“I was dumbstruck by it,” Mr Jones said. “I could not sleep, I could not understand it. I naturally assumed she would be staying in.

“Clinically and economically it makes no sense.

“They talk about bed-blocking but this is below the below.

“This is so disgusting I cannot get my head around it.”

Mr Jones said his mum, who also suffers from arthritis and asthma, had recently had an operation for leg cancer and uses a wheelchair.

He also said that while at the hospital he saw 10 empty beds and would have liked his mum to have stayed a few extra hours overnight and discharged at a more sensible time later in the morning.

Mr Jones added that it was a ‘cold night’ and he has since written letters to the hospital and Bolsover MP Dennis Skinner raising his concerns.

A Chesterfield Royal Hospital spokesperson said: “We regret that Mrs Jones does not appear to have had the quality of experience that a patient should expect to receive at this hospital, particularly those that are elderly or frail.

“On this occasion it seems clear that somewhere along the line there has been a breakdown in communication between this hospital, Mrs Jones’ care home and her family members.

“We would welcome the opportunity to meet with Mrs Jones’ family and work with them to investigate precisely what happened and reduce the risk of it happening in the future.”

In response, Mr Jones said that he was willing to meet the hospital to discuss what happened.

“I only want something good to come from this,” he added.