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Co Down woman (95) waiting seven months for ‘care package' to allow her to leave hospital

Delays in finalising a care package for 95-year-old Anna Johnston toreturn home have frustrated her family
Delays in finalising a care package for 95-year-old Anna Johnston toreturn home have frustrated her family Delays in finalising a care package for 95-year-old Anna Johnston toreturn home have frustrated her family

A RETIRED nurse has told how almost seven months after being admitted to hospital with a chest infection, her 95-year-old mother has still not returned home.

Anna Johnston, from Co Down, is now in a care home because the South Eastern trust has been unable to put a suitable care package in place.

The frail pensioner was initially admitted to hospital in January suffering from a chest infection.

Her daughter Elizabeth has hit out at the delays which have effectively led to her mother is 'blocking' bed space.

Bed-blocking, due to discharge delays, has become a growing problem for the system.

Recent Department of Health figures show that 68,000 ‘bed days’ were lost in hospitals across the north last year due to delays in discharging patients.

Ms Johnston, who has lived with her mother in Moira for the past 20 years, said her the situation had been hugely distressing.

She told how the delays became evident soon after her mother was admitted to Craigavon Area Hospital in January for treatment for a chest infection.

Confined to a hospital bed for a month, Ms Johnston said her mother was left unable to walk and had to be transferred to Loan House in Dungannon for rehabilitation.

She remained there until June 23 but because a care package was still not in place was sent to a care home.

Since then she has been a resident at Copperfields Nursing home in Aughnacloy - 40 miles from her home in Moira.

The retired nurse, who makes the 80-mile round trip every day, has said her mother deserves better.

"I have done everything I physically can do to get her home and the trust don't seem to be able to get the care package together," she said.

"At 95 every day is precious and I just don't feel the trust is making the effort to help get her home."

Ms Johnston, who has even spent more than £2,000 upgrading their home for her mother's return, urged the trust to act on this "urgent" matter.

"She loves life at home and she's not getting the chance to do it in the twilight years."

Ms Johnston said she feared her mother may never return home.

"From what I hear other people in the nursing home are in the same boat. They went in under pretences waiting for the care packages that never materialised and it's not fair.

"She would do much better at home than she would do in a nursing home. She doesn't even get watching her favourite programme. It's not the way I would like to be treated."

A spokesperson for the South Eastern Trust said while funding for Mrs Johnston's care package has been secured since June, there was a "lack of domiciliary capacity in the area".

"The difficulty is that it is an extremely comprehensive package of care, and there is a lack of domiciliary capacity in the area," they said.

"The team has been trying to source this care package on a daily basis since June.

"There have been a number of meetings and regular contact with her family to keep them updated and the Trust is meeting the cost of her interim placement in a nursing home.

"The Trust will continue to make every effort to try to secure the required package of care as we are keen for Mrs Johnston to return home as soon as possible."