55ST PATIENT BLOCKS 4 BEDS
Yob who attacked nurses stuck on NHS ward as there’s nowhere to send him
AN obese patient is taking up four NHS beds because there are no social care places for him.
Matthew Crawford, 33, who weighs 55st and was convicted of attacking four nurses at his previous home, has been in hospital since May. His stay is costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds.
A source said: “Staff are at their wits’ end. There is nothing wrong with him.”
HOSPITAL staff have told of their fury at turning other patients away because obese Matthew Crawford cannot be discharged.
The 55st 33-year-old has a four-bed bay on a ward for himself and all the equipment needed to move him.
He is medically fit for discharge, but because there is no appropriate social care space he cannot leave.
Crawford, who has convictions for assaulting nurses, has been at the hospital more than five months, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds. It includes up to £7,000 a week for a rented reinforced bed.
It is claimed he habitually orders pizzas and Chinese takeaways to be eaten on the ward – and he even posted a picture of himself clutching a bottle of champagne.
An NHS source said: “Everybody is sick to the back teeth with the situation and it’s about time it was exposed. There’s nothing medically wrong with Matt now but we’re powerless to get rid of him.
“There’s space for four people who need to be on the ward being taken up by one bloke who doesn’t.
“He is taking up much-needed bed space that is supposed to be for ill patients. The situation is madness.
“The NHS always gets slated for not having enough beds and he’s taking up four. It’s so frustrating.
“Staff are at their wits’ end. They are still treating him because they are compassionate and it’s part of their job. But the situation is disrupting the ward and he needs to be moved somewhere more appropriate.”
In January, King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts, had to postpone more than 70 non-urgent operations which required overnight stays as it struggled with discharging patients into social care.
Earlier this year, Crawford was convicted of assaulting four nurses at a care home near Newark, Notts.
He was ordered to pay his victims compensation. His solicitor Michael Little said Crawford, previously convicted of attacking a police officer, was too heavy to attend the hearing.
He told magistrates: “They do have ambulances big enough to support him, but then the consideration becomes how to get him into court.”
Crawford was also said to have spent cash from his fortnightly £300
Employment Support Allowance on takeaways he ordered from his bed.
And he even moaned about the food in the home, posting: “Just want to set the record straight, I don’t spend all my money on takeaways.
“I might get 300 quid a fortnight but I spend over 100 quid every fortnight on food shopping.
“If people tasted the food in this place you would know why I buy my own food.”
The court was told Crawford had been discharged from the care home weighing 31st but returned weighing 51st.
He was moved to King’s Mill Hospital in May. Sources said the football fan was sent a discharge letter months ago. But a nationwide lack of appropriate obesity beds means he is still on the ward.
His mum Linda Belshaw insisted a deal is being arranged for him to leave.
Speaking from her home in Newark, she said: “He’s waiting to move [to a care home].
“Everything including the funding has been sorted. They have got his room ready. They are just waiting for the equipment to be installed.” Linda also denied claims by hospital staff that Crawford orders takeaways or she brings in food for him.
She added: “Do I look like I can carry food? I’m on a walking stick, I’m disabled, I’m a pensioner.
“I have to go by voluntary transport to visit him. So it is nonsense. I don’t know who is trying to stir it for him.
“He doesn’t have any deliveries [of food] whatsoever.” Sherwood Forest Hospitals’ deputy chief nurse, Phil Bolton, refused to comment on Crawford’s specific case. He said: “Whenever we have patients in our care with complex needs, it can sometimes take longer than we would like to ensure we can safely transfer patients to a place more appropriate for their needs. “In cases where multiple conversations have to take place with different agencies across a number of geographical areas, it is more likely that delays can occur. “We continue to work with agencies and the community to identify the most suitable place of care for our patients as quickly as possible, but we appreciate how frustrating this can be for our patients, our staff and our partners.” Bed-blocking costs the cash-strapped NHS millions of pounds every year as operations are postponed or axed.