Family allege woman injured in hospital fall
AN elderly woman fell at a Welsh hospital after she was left unattended while using a commode, her family have alleged.
Betty Haydon, who is 86, had a triple heart bypass two years ago and suffers from diabetes.
Originally from Bedfordshire, she moved to the village of Capel Dewi, near Llandysul in Carmarthenshire, more than 45 years ago.
She now lives in a care home in Llanybydder and travels to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen three times a week for live-saving dialysis treatment.
However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, her family claimed they had been told by hospital staff she had asked to use the commode next to her bed on the hospital’s Preseli ward.
But they allege they were told she was left unattended as she wasn’t listed as being high risk, and she fell to the floor, injuring her arm, her hand and her head.
Mrs Haydon’s children described what had happened as an “absolute disgrace” and are planning to make a formal complaint.
“My mother has been unwell for a very long time,” said son Paul Haydon.
“She had a triple heart bypass two years ago and when my father died at Christmas 2016 she really went downhill.
“She also has diabetes and needs dialysis three times a week. She lives in the Allt Y Mynydd care home in Llanybydder, and the staff there are absolutely fantastic with her.
“On Monday, after dial- ysis at the hospital, she was very unwell and she wouldn’t eat anything. She was admitted through A&E. Eventually she ended up being given a bed on Preseli Ward.
“It was the following morning that I got a call from a nurse on the ward to say that my mother had suffered a fall but that she was fine,” he claimed.
When Paul and his sister Susan arrived at the hospital, they found their mother had hurt her elbow and her fingers, and they claimed she had skin “hanging off” one of her arms.
They also believe that she hit her head when she fell, and claimed she had not been the same since.
“She fell because she was left alone,” alleged Susan Jones, Mrs Haydon’s daughter.
“When I phoned the ward after the fall a nurse told me ‘we did assessment and wasn’t high risk’.
“Not high risk? She’s 86 and very ill. They told me that my mother should not have tried to get off the commode herself. She should never have been left alone! It’s an absolute disgrace,” she claimed
Following the fall Paul and Susan took their mother back to the care home where she has lived for the past nine months.
They claimed their mother’s condition had deteriorated rapidly since Wednesday’s incident.
“She had 15 ailments altogether and they didn’t see her as high-risk?” said Paul.
“On Thursday, the shock of the fall meant that we didn’t think she was going to make it through the night.
“I’m going to put in an official complaint and
arisk she force this all the way.
“When she went in to Glangwili on Monday she was an ill old lady but she was still our mum.
“She’s doesn’t seem like mum anymore.”
Joe Teape, Director of Operations for Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Whilst we cannot discuss individual cases through the media we are always concerned to hear about any patient or their family who are unhappy with the care they have received as we strive to provide excellent health care for our communities.
“We know we don’t always get it right and would encourage anyone who has concerns regarding the level of care that they have received to contact our Patient Support Team on 0300 0200 159 so that we can review any specific issues, and learn from their experiences.”