Hospitals: No ban on dementia

A GOLD Coast hospital accused of telling a dementia patient to be treated elsewhere says it does not have a policy of not accepting patients, and treats dementia sufferers regularly.

On Thursday, the Bulletin reported claims by a Gold Coast family that paramedics transporting a 74-year-old mother of three, Sheila Cruise, after she had a severe fall at her Labrador nursing home, were told not to turn up to two private hospitals because of concerns around her dementia.

The family said they had been informed by the paramedics, who called ahead to the Gold Coast Private Hospital and Pindara Hospital, that the hospitals could not take her because of her dementia and did not have facilities to treat her. She ended up at the Robina Public Hospital.

Mrs Cruise’s husband Jeff Cruise said since the story was published on Thursday, he had been contacted by both hospitals involved.

“I have had a talk, they said there is no recording of the calls with the ambulance and that it could be a flaw in the system,” Mr Cruise said. “They were apologetic and said they take on dementia patients, but it is pretty obvious on the night she fell, someone said no.”

Pindara Private Hospital said the hospital looked after many patients with dementia and did not have a policy of denying service to dementia patients. The hospital said it could not confirm if it had been contacted by the Queensland ambulance in relation to Mrs Cruise, however it said it would be “very rare patients are directed on to other facilities”.

Pindara director of emergency medicine, Dr Ben Walters, said he did not have all the details but believed given her fall, Mrs Cruise may have been diverted because of her head injury and not her dementia.