Vulnerable pensioner discharged from hospital at 4am

6:00pm Thursday 18th December 2008

By Will Carson

A HAMPSHIRE hospital has defended its decision to discharge a disabled, partially sighted 88-year-old man at 4am.

A taxi driver had to take care of Harold Lawrence after he was sent home from Southampton General Hospital.

Last night the hospital was standing by its policy of not providing patients with transport home.

But Mr Lawrence’s family branded the hospital’s actions “disgusting”. The pensioner had been admitted to the hospital late at night for emergency treatment for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after waiting more than six hours to see an out-of-hours doctor.

Just a few hours later Mr Lawrence, who can only walk with the help of a stick, was forced to make his own way back to his home at Chandler’s Ford.

Mr Lawrence, who lives on his own in sheltered accommodation, had expected to spend the night in hospital.

The Second World War RAF veteran, who worked closely with Spitfire creator RJ Mitchell, was wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair by a taxi driver because he had no walking aid.

Concerns for the retired NHS audiologist had been raised when his daughter Penny Smith visited him and found him with severe pain in his left leg.

Two doctors finally arrived shortly before 11pm and told Mrs Smith he needed admitting to hospital for urgent medical treatment.

An ambulance arrived and took Mr Lawrence to hospital, where he was given an anticoagulant injection.

Son-in-law Tony Smith, also of Chandler’s Ford, said: “When the ambulance crew picked him up they told him to bring an overnight bag because he would probably be in all night but that wasn’t to be the case.

“He’s 88, he’s partially blind, he had already waited seven hours to see a doctor and he was very confused.

“He asked for transport home only to be told by a nurse that they don’t provide transport for patients.

“A taxi was called and the driver had to wheel him out of the hospital in a wheelchair.

“To just eject him like that at that time of the morning was really quite disgusting.

“He had only been into the hospital a few weeks before for DVT treatment so it’s not as if the hospital weren’t aware of his situation.

“The taxi driver from Central Shirley Cabs was the only person to deal with this elderly, frail gentleman with professionalism and respect.

Mr Smith explained that he and his wife had not accompanied Mr Lawrence to the hospital because they had expected him to be in overnight.

He added both had had a drink and didn’t want to drink-drive, and both needed to work early the next day.

Mark Hackett, chief executive of Southampton Universities Hospital Trust, said: “It is not our policy to provide patients who have been discharged with transport home, but we would ask this family to contact us if they have any concerns.”

Michael Summers, vicechairman of the Patients’ Association, said: “One expects better from hospitals in the 21st century than to discharge an elderly, frail patient at this time of the morning.”