The family of a pensioner left immobile following a major operation have accused health chiefs of “blackmailing” them into looking after her at home.
Alice MacNair was rushed into hospital with a ruptured bowel in May.
But despite trying to arrange care for after she was discharged from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, her family claim they were left to sort it themselves – resulting in months of back and forth.
NHS Grampian last night confirmed they are aware of the complaints, and have launched an investigation.
She was eventually moved to Peterhead Hospital in July, and again her relatives say they tried to contact care services to make arrangements.
But she was sent home before anything could be put in place after a doctor declared her medically fit – even though she still has an open wound with a vac dressing.
Mrs MacNair claimed: “They discharged me, claiming I was medically fit to live independently and then watched as I was stretchered from the hospital.
“I couldn’t even do my personal care.
“There’s something really wrong when they discharge someone like me just because they can’t cope with the workload.”
Mrs MacNair’s own home was on the market at the time of her discharge, and since there had been no care manager appointed, her family set up a room for her in their house and hired a live-in-carer.
Last night, Mrs MacNair said she felt like a “burden” on her family.
She is still immobile and can only get to the bathroom using a walker.
She added: “I didn’t realise they wouldn’t all work together and that I would be left without care, feeling like a burden on my family.”
Her relative claimed she had been discharged too quickly, and added: “I feel I was blackmailed into bringing a carer into our house to care for her.
“The hospital knew the whole family was going away and couldn’t look after her anyway due to work – one nurse had the cheek to say ‘put her into a hotel’.
“It’s disgraceful.
“We knew there was a health and social care crisis in the country but it’s particularly bad in this area.
“That needs to change – if she didn’t have family I dread to think where they would have left her.”
It was hoped that Mrs MacNair may move into a sheltered house complex, but the family alleges health chiefs have been unable to find anyone trained to do the vac dressings.
They have now decided to keep her at home in the meantime with the live-in carer – as they are not prepared to “abandon her”.
A spokeswoman from NHS Grampian and the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership said: “We are very concerned by the issues the MacNair family have raised. “This matter has been raised with us formally and we can confirm an investigation is under way.
“Once that is complete we will respond directly to the family.”
