Beaminster: Family blast hospital over 'pass the buck' care of elderly woman (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Beaminster: Family blast hospital over 'pass the buck' care of elderly woman

10:19am Thursday 26th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

AN ELDERLY Beaminster woman who underwent ‘appalling’ care at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, has been ‘forced’ to remain there because of a ‘stand-off’ with social workers, her family claims.

Kathleen Jordan, 80, was admitted to the hospital in October suffering from uncontrollable diarrhoea and sudden confusion.

Her family said her treatment was so awful it left her ‘traumatised’ and in a much worse state than when she went in.

She has since been transferred to another ward and her care has improved.

Mrs Lambert is now ready to leave but cannot go home to Beaminster as she needs 24-hour care.

Her daughter, Bridport Primary School teacher Ann Lambert said she is being forced to remain in hospital due to a ‘stand-off’ with social services.

She said: “I firmly believe that me, my family and my poor old innocent mum are all being persecuted just because I dared to complain, “My mother is not ill, just old, yet she has been forced to remain in hospital because we, her family, will not agree to her being placed just anywhere in the community.

“For example, if we were offered a care home in Weymouth, it would make for a round trip of 70 miles for her nearest family member to visit.

“Social ‘care’ – pish posh.

“The social care system in Dorset should be called ‘pass the buck’.

“I am a teacher who has been delivering lessons to nine-year-olds with the focus of anti-bullying.

“I feel quite hypocritical doing this knowing that my own mother is being ‘bullied by the system’ and those who apply it.”

The family had hoped to get their mother into Sidney Gale House in Bridport and her consultant agreed it would suit her but they were told it was ‘too big’ – a comment they cannot understand. Some of the family live in Oxfordshire and they tried there but found that care homes cost more than social services were willing to pay. In desperation, they rang the hospital social worker and were told just to compile a list of homes and leave it to the social work department.

Mrs Lambert said: “It sounded too good to be true; that’s because is was.

“We keep getting conflicting advice All along we have not been given any support or help by the people who are meant to be doing so. Now the social worker has two of my mother’s daughters sobbing. She actually declared a ‘stand-off’ – her words not mine.

“I have never before been in the situation of trying to find a care home for a very much loved one.

“I am dazed by the incredible difficulty involved.

“The heartache, the misery, the guilty feelings. All of this compounded by professionals who feel ready for a ‘stand-off’?

“All I ask is simple. I need a good, kind loving home for my mother where 24-hour care is on offer. I need to know how to achieve this and I need help and support in getting her to a good place.

“Why is this such a big ask?”

Mrs Lambert added: “We have now searched around and are considering an offer of a home in Merseyside which is near a disabled relative of my mother. I think it is deplorable but it could be better than nothing.”

A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said: ‘we are currently investigating the allegations and will feed back out findings to Mrs Lambert’.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)