OAP Meredith Parry spends 14 hours on A&E trolley
AN URGENT investigation is under way after an 85-year-old dementia patient was kept overnight on a hospital trolley for 14 hours.
Care home resident Meredith Parry had been due to be admitted to a ward soon after arriving at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire's accident unit.
But his family was stunned to find Mr Parry was still on a hospital trolley in A&E the following morning.
They have lodged a formal complaint over his care.
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Now hospital chief executive Julia Bridgewater has arranged to meet the family following an inquiry into the case.
Mr Parry was taken from Amberley House Care Home, in Bentilee, to the accident unit at 6pm on Tuesday, May 8 after suffering breathing problems and diarrhoea.
Daughter Susan Leach, aged 60, of Church Close, Biddulph, said: My husband and I sat with my father for just over two hours and then a doctor came to see him and arranged for blood tests and a chest X-ray.
"The results came back that he had pneumonia on his right lung, they put a drip in his arm for fluids and gave him oxygen and said he would be admitted on to ward 218 shortly after 9.30pm.
"We left the hospital as they were going to change him and move him to the ward.
"But my husband rang at 8am the next day and to our horror we found he was still in A&E. My poor father had been there for 14 hours on a trolley.
"For a state-of-the-art new hospital with all the mod cons my father was treated appallingly.
"It really was a shock to me to find out the lack of care my father received. I wouldn't like to think he needed to go into that hospital again."
Mr Parry, who used to live in Burslem, spent 10 days at the new-look £400 million University Hospital after also being treated for the norovirus bug.
Son-in-law Stan Leach, aged 64, said: "Since he came out of hospital there has been a big improvement in his condition.
"But before he went in, he would walk up and down constantly. But he hasn't walked since he came out."
Hospital officials are investigating the family's care complaints.
Mrs Bridgewater said: "I am very sorry to hear of Mr Parry's experience at the University Hospital.
"I have started an immediate investigation and have contacted Mr Parry's family to arrange a meeting where their concerns can be discussed."
Comments
by catchetat
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 10:07PM
“wow I've never posted a comment b4 but looks like this new multi-billion pound investment or state of the art whatever investment is not as good as it sounds!”
by Chrisgal
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 7:41PM
“My 88 year old farther who is blind and has pnuemonia was also left on a trolley for more than 10 hours last weekend. Although staff were informed they failed to administer very important eye drops. There is another issue that my family will be taking up with the consultant regarding his notes.”
by stokeandvale
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 2:50PM
“He should thank his lucky stars he aint kicking up Daisys and got out alive, not like the other old fellow last week who they kept on his trolley for 12 hours, until he met his maker.”
by shufti
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 11:00AM
“This is not the first incident, nor will it be the last, these things happened in the old hospital, now the new one is 300 beds less, did anyone apart from the management not see this coming?
I don't know how they will cope during winter, let's hope it's a mild one.
All the best to Mr Parry and his family.”