Family's anger at Pilgrim after Len, 76, sent home from hospital naked in a wheelchair with just a blanket around him

Len Birch, who is 76, may have been sitting in the ‘discharge lounge’ at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital in that state for several hours before he was taken home by a care company.

His daughter-in-law Joyce Birch says the family has now made two official complaints to the hospital – one about the lack of communication they had when Len was a patient and the second about the way he was discharged with complete lack of dignity.

Issues around communication include:

Len being moved to a care home without the family’s knowledge

A comment made about resuscitation in a conversation with Len’s wife Margaret which left her in floods of tears

And general difficulties they have had in finding out what is happening with Len during his stay.

But they have been left particularly shocked by the way Len was left naked under a blanket in a wheelchair while awaiting discharge.

Joyce says they were told he was in the discharge area at around 2pm by the ward Len was in – but it was 7.15pm before he was brought home by the care service given responsibility for him.

“We think it was around 2pm when Margaret rang Ward 6b to see if he was on his way home and they said he was in the "discharge lounge", so we think he had been sat there for many hours before he was brought home,” she said.

“Just the thought of him sat in a wheelchair with no clothes on and just a blanket wrapped round him makes us all so angry.

“We've had nothing to say he had food or medication while he waited in this discharge lounge.

“We don't have much faith in the health service and are dreading him going back in especially after making a complaint. He is worse now than what he was when he went in so we know he will end up back in very soon.”

The issues started when Len was taken into hospital in January because he couldn’t sit up and he was saying he was dying and shouting to Margaret, who is 80, to get an ambulance.

Len and Margaret live in Ingoldmells. Len is bed bound after losing a leg some years ago and Margaret cares for him, although she herself is 80 and not in great health.

The issues started with Joyce and her husband Paul being told they could not get information on Len over the phone instead of Margaret, as they live in Cambridgeshire and Margaret doesn’t drive and has difficulties with waking an breathing. They were told no, it wasn’t hospital policy.

It was later explained to them by the PALs service that they should have been told about a password scheme allowing them to get information over the phone, which they later used.

The family then discovered Len had been put into a care home on 9th February without any of them being informed. It only became apparent when got a call a day later from the home saying Len’s heart was racing and he was being violently sick and they were sending him back into hospital.

Margaret was also left in tears after a conversation about resuscitation left her fearing the worst.

“She received a call from someone on the ward asking if she wanted him ‘resuscitated’. She rang me and was in tears thinking he was ready to die so I rang my husband at work and told him what had been said so he rang in work to say it was an emergency and we had to get to the hospital on Friday 14th February,” said Joyce.

“We got to the hospital to find him looking really scruffy, unshaven, all sleep in his eyes and looking like he hadn't had a wash in a while; he was rambling on about a load of rubbish but didn't look like he was ready to die!

“I can totally understand that they have to put this down on his paperwork but surely there is a better way to explain why they need to do this. They could have said: ‘Don't be alarmed about what I'm going to ask you next ...there's nothing to worry about It's just something we have to add to a patients notes’ and then asked about resuscitation. The way they said it to Margaret really shocked her.”

The final indignity came when he was transported home naked covered by a blanket and sitting on an incontinence pad.

Because he is diabetic, Margaret was worried that he hadn't had his insulin or food while he was in this "discharge suite" waiting to be brought home from the hospital by a care.

Joyce said: “They got him on the bed and removed the blanket that was round him and he was naked underneath and he had just been sat on an incontinence pad! They were all in shock, Len didn't know who Margaret was so he's still not right and he didn't have the special compression bandage on his leg!

“It looks like they couldn't get rid of him quick enough, he didn't come home with any of his clothes either, he didn't know if he had been fed or even had his insulin.”

The family say they have now submitted two separate complaints but are worried Len will have to go back into hospital.

Joyce says: “Margaret had to ring for an ambulance the second night he was at home because he thought it was morning and was trying to get out of bed as he was very confused and still is but they didn't take him back in, his blood sugar was very low so they helped to get it to a safe level and left him at home.

“Margaret is struggling to look after him, but she is old school and thinks it's her duty and even with extra carers going in is worn out with him.

“He will probably end up going back in which we are all dreading, but I really hope the Boston Standard can highlight this as it is disgusting the way we have been treated. As a family we're all very stressed out.”

The Pilgrim is run by United Lincolnshire Health Trust. It’s Medical Director Dr Neill Hepburn said: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Birch and his family have concerns about his care.

“Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on individual cases, but the Trust has received the family’s complaint and will be investigating and responding to the family in due course.”