Elderly patient was found in a ditch five miles from hospital
An elderly patient was found in a drain in his hospital gown after going missing from a healthcare facility in Castlebar.
The man was discovered by a passerby more than five miles away from the St John’s Unit, which is operated by Mayo University Hospital and located on the grounds of the Sacred Heart Home on the Pontoon Road.
The incident was raised at a meeting of the Regional West Health Forum where Castlebar-based Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne said the man was fortunate to have been found alive having wandered for five to six miles.
“You cannot have patients locked up but this man was particularly lucky. A woman driving home found him in a drain at the side of the road and got her family to come out, get him out, and give him a cup of tea. Even at that stage, there didn’t appear to be Gardaí looking for him when she rang the guards and the ambulance service."
The incident occurred in February with the woman finding the man in a hospital gown with a coat hanging over it.
“I accept that these things shouldn’t happen but the fact is it happened," added Cllr Kilcoyne. "I really want to know what steps are going to be taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again. I accept that you can’t have people tied to the bed or prevent them from going in or out. I don’t know what the answer is but there has to be something put in place. If the guy was there another few hours he’s gone."
The HSE said the incident has been thoroughly reviewed as part of the internal incident management process within Mayo University Hospital (MUH) and in line with the Incident Management Framework.
“Patient safety remains a priority focus in MUH and all absconsion incidents are reported and investigated under the incident management process. MUH has a detailed policy to follow when a patient goes missing, in the event that a patient leaves the hospital and does not advise staff of their intent this policy is followed. Where there is an identified risk of a patient being vulnerable [to] absconding there are extra measures put in place to maintain their safety. If a patient leaves the site and is identified as missing an incident is raised and this then follows the incident management process,” said HSE management.
