Psychiatric patient discharged, waylaid

A PSYCHIATRIC patient was discharged from Groote Schuur Hospital, told to find his way to a Green Point shelter and, as he wandered the streets, was robbed of his medication, according to his family.

On February 20, Graham Van der Hoven, 59, was discharged and had apparently been directed to a shelter in Napier Street, Green Point, his sister Avril Truter said.

Her brother suffers from Alzheimer’s, and has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she added.

“They told me they phoned us, but you can’t just send a patient out alone. When I asked questions, the doctors just brushed me off,” Truter said.

Van der Hoven was admitted to Groote Schuur after the home he stayed in closed and the family tried to find another place for him. His family then travelled to the West Coast and were later contacted by neighbours who found a distraught Van der Hoven after he was robbed.

“I don’t even know if he got a discharge form because they took his things. I phoned them (the hospital) and they told me he is quite capable and there is nothing wrong with him. How can they say that?” Truter said.

“He left the hospital and walked, and then he got robbed; they took his bag. He wasn’t harmed but they took his possessions.

“A neighbour (found him) and he was pale and shaking.”

Truter said that while her brother was educated, kind and could hold a conversation, his condition had worsened.

Since the Cape Times queried the incident with Groote Schuur, she said the family had been contacted and a request had been made for them and hospital staff to meet.

Van der Hoven is now staying at Heideveld Community Day Hospital.

Groote Schuur spokesperson Alaric Jacobs said: “At Groote Schuur Hospital, every patient is assessed, both clinically and by the social worker, before they are discharged. We would only discharge patients who are well enough to go home, and only if we feel that placement is not needed. If the family cannot collect the patient, assistance is provided for them to get home.”

Jacobs added it was important for family members to be involved in the care of patients, and to assist health officials in providing healthcare.

“Involvement of the social worker is vital in this regard – which we always ensure.”

Man admitted to Groote Schuur after home he had stayed in was shut