AN elderly patient who slipped out unnoticed from hospital was found a day later 40 miles away.
Gladys Jones, 82, who has dementia, vanished from Manchester Royal Infirmary, where she was being treated for a suspected heart attack.
The widow, from Beswick, was eventually found in Chester in a confused state after being missing overnight.
She had caught a train to the city - where her husband is buried - and spent the night in a bed and breakfast.
Hospital bosses have now launched an investigation into the incident.
Her son David Jones, 54, who is also from Beswick, claims that more than an hour passed between his mother's disappearance and the hospital notifying the family and police.
"I'm absolutely furious," he said. "I told the staff that my mother needed to be watched, because she has dementia and can wander off.
Dementia
"She had just suffered a heart attack and anything could have happened to her.
"The night she disappeared, I never got a wink of sleep. My friends and I spent hours looking for her in south Manchester.
"My mum is one of those people who doesn't like hospitals. One minute she's wandering off and next she's fine.
"My father is buried in Chester and she often says she wants to be with him."
Mrs Jones began suffering chest pains before she was taken by ambulance to MRI.
After an assessment, she was kept in overnight.
At about 7.30pm the following day, the hospital contacted her son and told him his mother had gone missing.
It is understood Mrs Jones got a taxi to the city centre before boarding a train to Chester.
Distressed
Mrs Jones was found confused and distressed near a churchyard by a woman at 9.15am the following day.
She was taken to Countess of Chester Hospital and has since been discharged and reunited with her family.
A spokesman for Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are aware of an incident on the Medical Assessment Unit, where a patient went missing.
"Once we had established the patient was not on the ward or in surrounding areas, we immediately put into place our `missing patient procedure' and notified the family.
"Our security and ward staff, along with Greater Manchester Police, undertook a full-scale search and the patient was found safe and well by the police the following morning.
"An investigation has been launched. We apologise for any distress caused to the patient and family."
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Tezza, Tyldesley (05/05/2009 at 09:44)
Having not had any dealings with hospitals in the past years (and only then for one of my children, where you can stay all the time) could a family member not have stayed with her over night if they had concerns about her wandering off?,
I would have thought that the hospital would welcome any help they may get in looking after her
JoeStalin,Gorton (05/05/2009 at 10:11)
JoeStalin,Gorton (05/05/2009 at 10:17)
Hazel (05/05/2009 at 12:45)
On one of her many admissions to hospital we were told that we were NOT allowed to stay with her despite repeatedly saying that she needed assistance to feed herself as she was registered blind.
We were clearly told that we were not allowed on the wards unless it was visiting time.
I am a former nurse and I am truly disgusted with many nurses and doctors attitudes towards old people. They are treated as a nuisance and basic toileting and eating activities are not undertaken. Whilst I appreciate that the NHS is understaffed the compassion for patients should still be there.
No one deserves the indignity of having their smeared lunch all over their faces as they are unable to feed themselves.
Lukily I have a mouth and I asked them who was going to sit with my nana to ensure she got fed? They couldn’t tell me I stayed and fed her as often as I could.
Its fair enough saying that shouldn’t a relative have been there to feed her but nurses are formidable creatures in my opinion. Please remember people they are NOT god and if you are unhappy with the way your relative is being treated then please open your mouth and say so before anything untoward happens not after.
Donald, manchester (05/05/2009 at 17:16)
JoeStalin,Gorton (05/05/2009 at 17:25)
When you have dementia and you're diabetic you might as well give up when you walk through the doors of any hospital. Unless you're on a specific diabetes ward your stuffed. The rest of them are clueless.
willing to listen, Middleton (06/05/2009 at 11:44)
It is very dficult to watch over just one specific patient 24 x 7, on a busy ward, and it is highly unlikely that Mrs Jones was not the only elderly patient on that ward who suffers with dementia.
It must of been very distressing for the family, but thankfully, she is now back home safe. Where the family can look after her and her needs.