An elderly woman discharged from hospital on morphine was mistakenly taken to a stranger’s house and left to sleep in their bed by ambulance staff.
Joyce Wright, 83, was in hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, after suffering a fall when she was mistakenly taken by ambulance to another patient’s home in Sleaford, 40 miles away from where she lives.
Staff used a key safe to access the house and Ms Wright was then moved into the stranger’s bed, with hospital staff realising the error during the following morning’s handover.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) have launched an investigation and said they offered “heartfelt and sincere apologies” to Ms Wright and her family.
Staff did not realise their error until the following morning— (BBC)
Ms Wright’s son Andy called the incident “absolutely shocking”.
“It was dark and my mum was on pain relief, on morphine, so obviously things were a bit confusing for her,” Mr Wright said.
“She didn’t quite realise [where she was] at that particular time and obviously she was quite drowsy.”
He said he was told his mother had been taken to the property instead of the patient in the room next door, who was due to be discharged.
“That bed was somebody else’s bed, it’s not like a nursing home. It’s absolutely shocking to think that this has happened,” he said.
He added that he was “very, very angry” when informed of the news, and feared the outcome could have been much worse.
Ms Wright was being treated at Pilgrim Hospital for injuries after a fall— (Geograph)
Ms Wright has now returned to hospital and is said to be in “good spirits” while she continues to recover from her fall.
Her son has called for a full investigation and added that while he did not blame the nursing or ambulance staff, he felt the incident was a “result of the pressures that everybody is under”.
A statement from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service read: “We have spoken with both patients and their families to offer our heartfelt and sincere apologies.
“This clearly falls below the standard of care we want to deliver. A review is underway to ensure it does not happen again.”
Caroline Johnson, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said she had written to the hospital trust and ambulance service to call for an “urgent investigation”.
“It is particularly concerning that Mrs Wright was wrongly discharged to an unfamiliar setting in another patient’s property, and that she was potentially left without the necessary medication for her conditions,” she said.
“It poses a broader patient safety question about how the trust is ensuring patients who are unconscious or incapacitated receive the correct treatment.
“Patients should be provided with ID wristbands and these should be routinely checked by staff to ensure that patients receive the appropriate care and treatment.”
