A WIDOW aged 99 was ‘kicked out’ of hospital before she had recovered from a life-saving heart operation say her furious family.
Beaty Thompson was admitted to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester after suffering her third heart attack.
The great grandmother had a pacemaker fitted during a two-hour operation on Wednesday, September 19, her 99th birthday. But at 5pm the next day, less than 24 hours after the op, she was discharged.
The hospital says having a pacemaker fitted is a “relatively straightforward process”, which is usually does not usually require an overnight stay.
Mrs Thompson, an honorary life president of the Worcestershire Pensioners Action Group known for her campaigning work, said: “At the hospital I was treated respectfully but when the doctor said he was sending me home I was gobsmacked. The nurses and staff were marvellous but it isn’t right to send a person home that quickly, I don’t care what anybody says. I was shocked. It upset me.”
Her family were given an hour’s notice before Mrs Thompson was discharged and were told they could pick her up or she would be taken home in an ambulance which would take another three to four hours.
Her son Stanley Thompson, 71, came from Birmingham to collect her and spent the night in her Warndon flat to keep an eye on her.
Another son, 63-year-old Barry Thompson of Humber Road, Ronkswood, Worcester, said discharging a woman of his mum’s age 24 hours after an operation was too soon. His mother lives alone in sheltered accommodation with no on-site warden to check on her.
Mr Thompson said: “She’s 99, for God’s sake. It was a case of, ‘Thank you very much – we need the bed’. The pacemaker was a nice birthday present, and we’re thankful she had it, but not for her being kicked out of the hospital within 24 hours.”
Mrs Thompson spent some time recovering at The Firs care home in Malvern Road, before she was readmitted to hospital on Thursday with pneumonia.
“She was still covered in bruises where she had had injections. The carers at The Firs thought she had been run over by a bus, “ said Mr Thompson.
“I’m concerned somebody of mum’s age was released from hospital without any concern for her wellbeing thereafter. I’m spitting feathers.”
A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said it fitted 200 pacemakers every year “It is usually carried out under local anaesthetic as a day case and most people are well enough to leave hospital later the same day or the next day,” she said.
“It seems this was not effectively communicated with Mrs Thompson and her family and we are very sorry that this has marred what was otherwise a positive experience. We have taken on board the family’s feedback and will be working with our staff to ensure discharge processes always reflect the excellent level of care we provide”.
