A FURIOUS daughter has blasted medics for ‘gambling with her dad’s life’ after he was discharged from hospital before being rushed back to A&E less than two hours later.
Adele Foy is calling for a full investigation to be carried out after her father John, 55, who is battling end-stage liver disease, sepsis and pneumonia was ruled fit to go home by staff at University Hospital Monklands.
But wheelchair-bound John was returned to the hospital after ambulance staff were unable to get him inside his second-floor flat in Coatbridge.
Adele has shared a video with the Glasgow Times that shows John left waiting outside his home in the cold, clutching a catheter bag and wrapped in a blanket - before the family say they faced a 22-hour wait to have him readmitted through casualty. His relatives instead took him to University Hospital in Wishaw for treatment.
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Adele is now calling on health board bosses to apologise and says the family feel they have been badly let down.
She said: “I’m beyond disgusted at the way my dad was treated. I begged medics not to send him home as he clearly wasn’t well enough.
“I want to know how someone who has end-stage liver disease, sepsis and pneumonia can possibly be fit for discharge. My dad could have died and I want answers.
“I’m speaking out because I want people to know what our family has gone through and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I know the NHS needs beds, but my dad is seriously ill and this decision could have had disastrous consequences.
“Less than two hours after being released he was back at A&E. I want to know the thinking behind this and why he was sent home. I won’t rest until I have answers. I'm demanding that those who made this ridiculous decision are held accountable.”
John was discharged from the hospital in Airdrie on January 6 after five weeks following a bleed on the brain.
He also suffers from confusion after toxins accumulated in his brain, affecting his mobility and speech.
NHS dental nurse Adele, 33, of Bellshill, added: “My dad can barely speak or move and is in constant pain. What’s gone on is unacceptable and I don't want to see another family suffer the way we have.
"I’ve contacted the hospital and NHS Lanarkshire on several occasions and still don't have answers. How would the bosses feel if this happened to one of their relatives?
“My dad is now receiving the care he needs at University Hospital in Wishaw, but he should never have been put in this situation. He doesn’t know what day of the week it is - how was he supposed to feed and clean himself at home?
“I really hope lessons have been learned and this doesn’t happen again. My dad deserves to be treated with compassion and care, not like this."
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John was diagnosed with liver disease two years ago and has now learned the damage is irreversible.
Adele became his full-time carer while juggling work and looking after her son Jamie, 11, and daughter Darcy, one.
Judith Park, director of acute services at NHS Lanarkshire, added: “We are sorry the family are unhappy with their father’s care.
“They have been in touch with our patient affairs team with their concerns and we will respond to the family directly.
“While it is inappropriate to discuss individual patients, we can confirm that when patients are assessed as being clinically fit, they can be discharged.
"Unfortunately, we continue to see sustained pressure across our acute hospitals, with exceptionally high numbers of people attending our A&E departments, which is resulting in long waits.
“We are asking people to please keep our A&E departments safe for those who need critical care.”
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