Family disgust when dad’s N&N hospital bed is replaced with a chair

The family of a man whose hospital bed was swapped for a chair every day say they fear this has affected his recovery.

Alexander Allan Reid, 84, was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital from his home in Wymondham and diagnosed with cellulitis.

His daughter said his bed was “wheeled away” every morning, forcing him to sit in a chair for up to 15 hours a day.

The hospital apologized for Mr. Reid’s experience.

“I’m disgusted and quite angry,” said his daughter Liz Reid.

“They gave him IV antibiotics and diagnosed him with cellulitis. It’s quite dangerous. It can kill you.”

Mrs Reid said her father, who was based at Loddon ward before being discharged on Sunday, had to sit in a chair all day as staff removed the beds every morning and returned them in the evening.

The hospital said it was intended to “prevent deconditioning and support early discharge home.”

However, Ms Reid believed that because of her father’s condition, a type of skin infection that causes swelling and blisters, he should have been in bed and elevated his legs to help reduce the swelling.

“On Sunday he was sitting in a chair with his feet on a footstool, which is not high enough,” she said.

“The swelling increased rather than decreased.”

Ms Reid said that when she questioned a nurse about it, she was told this was “the service offered” on the ward and that her father could ask for a bed.

“He won’t ask, he’s that generation, he doesn’t want to rock the boat,” she added.

‘He’s vulnerable. Vulnerable and at their mercy.’

Rachael Cocker, the hospital’s interim chief nurse, urged Mr Reid’s family to raise their concerns with the hospital so they could “learn from individual experiences”.

“Our Geriatric Medicine Service, which compromises ward bed spaces, and our Elderly Ambulatory Care Service (OPAC) are designed to place a greater emphasis on outpatient care and treatment, with the aim of preventing deconditioning and early discharge home support,” she says. said.

“This means that patients in the OPAC area will be supported on specialist chairs during the day.”