Woman, 87, with late stage dementia had to be re-admitted to Wigan hospital less than 24 hours after being discharged

Irene Barker was first admitted to the hospital on February 26 suffering from a chest infection.

Her son, Phil Wright, 66, from Worsley Hall, said that while in hospital, his mum developed a temperature and then contracted pneumonia.

However less than two weeks after being admitted, she was sent back to her care home, Montrose Hall, on the afternoon of Thursday, March 9.

Phil said: “She was very unresponsive, and wasn’t walking and eating properly. She clearly was not fit to be sent home in that state.

“She was examined the next morning by a community nurse, who said she ought to be in hospital. Both she and the attending paramedics said they thought it was an unsafe discharge.

“So less than 24 hours after being discharged, she was back in the Emergency Department where she faced another lengthy wait of nearly 11 hours before she could be seen, and 25 hours before a bed could be found for her.”

Mr Wright said he had now filed two complaints to the NHS Trust about the care his elderly mum received.

He added: “It is absolutely disgraceful. It’s as if the hospital is just trying to get people out as soon as possible.”

A spokesperson for WWL NHS Trust said: “The experience of our patients is paramount. We welcome patient feedback and take any complaint very seriously.

“We would encourage Mrs Barker’s family to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) so that we can support and investigate this sensitive matter thoroughly.”