THE PATIENTS
Being kept in hospital broke mum’s spirit and, eventually, she lost the will to live – Andrea Daisley on her mum’s tragic end
After repeated delays getting out of hospital, Nan Daisley made her family promise to take her home to die.
The former NHS cleaner from Greenock, who spent 23 years working at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, had watched her beloved husband Andy wasting away during the prolonged spells he had to spend in hospital before his death.
Her daughter Andrea said: “We went through hell watching my dad wasting away every time he had to spend prolonged periods in hospital in the last years of his life, and mum was haunted by that.
“We had to fight to get carers in place to get dad out of hospital. Mum was determined to die in her own bed too.
“Dad was diagnosed with vascular dementia after a fall, and like many elderly patients, he was sent to the Larkfield unit after a prolonged period at Inverclyde.
“It was heartbreaking seeing him there.”
Bricklayer Andy never walked after his fall, and died six years ago at 77.
Nan became gravely ill last September.
Andrea, 58, a quality assurance officer for a medical supplies firm, said: “Mum was bedridden after a stroke and needed carers four times a day to keep her at home.
“She had COPD and there were at least three occasions when she was stuck in hospital because no carers were available. We lost a little more of her each time that happened.
On other occasions she was sent home and no carers were in place. We believe every time she was forced to remain in hospital, it broke her spirit and she eventually lost the will to live.”
Nan died in November at the age of 80.
Andrea said: “Our only comfort is that we did manage to keep our promise to mum, she died at home as she wanted.
“We’re supposed to have a joined-up system to care for the most vulnerable, but it’s completely broken and those in charge appear to have very little understanding of the effect this has on those patients and their families.”
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde said: ”Any instance of delayed discharge is unacceptable and we work with families to minimise these as much as possible and ensure patients are discharged in a safe and timely manner.
”We have been working to reduce delayed discharges as a priority and Inverclyde Royal Hospital has some of the lowest rates in the country, thanks to a close relationship with the local Inverclyde HSCP and its partnerships with community groups.”