Hospital probed over its care of MS patient
Ex-soldier Billy left in crippling pain
Hairmyres Hospital is under fire over its care of a multiple sclerosis patient who has been stuck in the foetal position for more than two years.
The East Kilbride hospital is currently under investigation over its treatment of 60-year-old former TA soldier Billy Barclay and has been issued with an adult protection order.
Billy was moved from Hairmyres to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where staff discovered he had two fractures and a serious infection.
Billy’s daughter Barbara, speaking to our sister paper the Daily Record, believes her crippled dad, an ex-cabbie, was injured during the months he spent in Hairmyres and has called on authorities to find out what happened to him.
Social workers have since issued the acute hospital with an adult protection order over his care after he was left in crippling pain.
NHS Lanarkshire’s director of nursing Frances Dodd said: “We are aware of this case and an investigation is ongoing. It would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Billy was confined to his East Kilbride home when his MS became unmanageable and his mental health also suffered.
Barbara, who was estranged from her dad as a child, found him living alone and curled up in a ball.
Muscle wastage had caused Billy’s legs to retract making it impossible for him to stretch them.
He had been stuck in this position for months.
“The Queen Elizabeth staff have been amazing with my dad,” Barbara said. “They found two fractures, one on his bum bone and the other on his hip.
“And his bedsores were in a shocking state. One of them was badly infected.
“Hairmyres neglected him but he’s getting a lot better now. He’s getting much better looked after in the new hospital.”
A new senior social worker at South Lanarkshire Council has been put in charge of Billy’s case and a suitable care home has been recommended to him.
Barbara added: “I’m hopeful it will be the right place but I’m not rushing into anything. I want to make sure it’s perfect for him.
“I was never happy with his treatment at Hairmyres. Dad got really upset when he was told initially he would be going back there.
“He loves where he is now and has asked if he can stay there. He can’t – but it shows how much of a difference they have made.
“The nurses at the Queen Elizabeth are angry at the way he had been cared for in Hairmyres. I think they were behind the AP1 (adult protection order) complaint.”