Apology after care delay for woman,78

Jenny Harrison ... apologised over delay

A DAUGHTER has been left frustrated after her 78-year-old mother was left in hospital for over a week after additional care to support her at home was unavailable.

Jean Walker was hospitalised after falling at home and fracturing her neck of femur on October 30.

The widow, who has also been diagnosed with the early stages of vascular dementia, underwent an operation and spent almost a fortnight in the Royal Oldham Hospital recovering.

As her health improved, her daughter Lynn Hilton was told that the Oldham Council reablement service would be able to support Mrs Walker in her home once she was declared fit to leave hospital.

Mrs Hilton was told that the service could provide up to four visits a day to her mother’s home in Uppermill and would ensure she was taking her medication, eating and keeping hydrated as well as assessing her needs following the operation.

However, on November 13, when Mrs Walker was due to leave hospital, her daughter was told that the service would not be able to accommodate her.

Mrs Hilton, who is her mother’s primary carer, said: “We were referred to the reablement service in order to help my mum get back on track after the fall.

Private

“She’s a very independent woman and is used to living on her own but we knew she would need a bit of additional support to make sure she was taking her medication and eating right.

“On the day she was due to leave I was told that the service would not be able to accommodate her and that we could pay a fee in order for them to provide a private carer to check on her.

“It was so frustrating to have got everything ready for mum at home and then be told that there was no capacity for her on the service.

“We were given no information at all, not about how much the service would cost or why she was no longer able to receive it.”

She was forced to leave her mum in the hospital to be cared for while arrangements were made for her to return home.

Mrs Hilton made a formal complaint to Oldham Council but it was only when the Chronicle intervened that she received any help.

Mrs Walker, a great-grandmother, was transferred to Shawside Nursing Home on November 20, with arrangements put in place for her to return home and receive the reablement service from tomorrow.

Mrs Hilton added: “Oldham is supposed to be dementia friendly but we have not experienced it.

Appalling

“My mum wants to be at home and in her own environment again to get comfortable, but without the service she could not leave hospital.

“The nursing home staff were fantastic, but it wasn’t the right place for her as she was surrounded by people with more serious forms of dementia.

“It is appalling to have been recommended for the reablement service and to have made preparations around the service only to have it then taken away at the last moment.

“It is not the standard of care that my mum deserves.

“I’m glad that we have got it resolved but I think this is an issue that needs to be raised.”

Councillor Jenny Harrison, cabinet member for social care and safeguarding, said: “Firstly we’d like to apologise to Mrs Walker and her family and regret the inconvenience caused.

“While the capacity of reablement services in Oldham has not changed, we have recently experienced an increase in the number of people who need the service.

“Unfortunately, this has resulted in a small number of people having to wait for reablement support in their own homes.

“In each case we have arranged alternative options to make sure people receive the help they need until we can arrange support or a longer term option where appropriate.

“We can assure residents we’re working as a matter of urgency to make sure that we can respond to the recent increase in demand.”