CONCERNS over the spread of infection at the Alexandra Hospital have been voiced by a Redditch woman whose mother was put on a quarantined ward, despite her illness being undiagnosed.

Catherine Hughes' 82-year-old mother Hilary Owens was admitted with dehydration as a result of a stomach upset.

Mrs Hughes said after staff assessed Mrs Owens, they put her on Ward 3 where it appeared every patient was suffering from a stomach bug commonly called C Diff, which is contracted in hospital.

"Last June, my mother was admitted to the hospital with a chest infection but ended up staying in for nine weeks because she contracted this C Diff," explained Mrs Hughes.

Mrs Hughes demanded her mother be put in an infection-free area or she would take her home.

She said: "They agreed and my mother was given a bed in the Medical Assessment Unit for just a day before she was allowed home.

"I'm just concerned if my mother had stayed in Ward 3 she could have easily contracted C Diff and have been in there for a very long time again."

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: "There does seem to have been a breakdown in communications in Mrs Owens' case and we'd like to apologise for that.

"We'll look carefully at what happened to see what lessons can be learned and how we might do things differently in future."