Cancer patient felt ‘bullied’ into leaving hospital early

A CANCER patient has claimed that she was “bullied” out of her hospital bed by hospital staff who were “desperate to free up space”.

Julie Chrysanthou, 58, said nurses reduced her to tears by telling her to leave her bed at a hospital in Cornwall.

Last week the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust asked families to care for elderly relatives at home to help clear hospital beds which were occupied by medically fit patients.

Ms Chrysanthou, a retired building surveyor from Penzance, was recuperating on the Eden Ward of the Royal Cornwall Hospital after a complete hysterectomy earlier this month to remove a cancer in her womb lining, according to The Times.

She claimed that she felt “bullied” into leaving the hospital before she was well enough to do so. She said: “I have never had such a low ebb. I actually wanted to die. I actually thought, I can’t go through this.

“I am absolutely terrified of going in and having an operation and feeling ill again and being badgered into leaving and coming home. There is a battle between being desperate for beds and finding a patient they can try and get out as quickly as possible, irrespective of how they are feeling and the treatment they have had.”

Ms Chrysanthou said she was discharged and wheeled to her stepdaughter, who was waiting with a car, until she received a phone call saying that she had left her medication, discharge papers and had not been shown how to inject herself, meaning she had to return.

She claimed that upon returning, she was met by a nurse who showed her how to inject herself with blood thinners in the car park.

A spokesman for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals said:“we are sorry Ms Chrysanthou believes she was discharged from hospital before she felt ready. We must respect confidentiality and are unable to comment on a patient’s care.

“Women undergoing these types of procedure are prepared in advance for what to expect after their operation and part of this is to get them mobile quickly to reduce the risk of complications such as blood clots. We would not discharge anyone before they have been assessed as medically fit to leave hospital and it is typical for women to be sent home within four or five days of this procedure, where patients will still receive ongoing support, such as physiotherapy when needed.”

Ms Chrysanthou was approached for comment by The Daily Telegraph.