Hospital ward calls 999 for ambulance to move patient 400 metres ‘to replace catheter’

A hospital phoned for an ambulance so an elderly patient could be driven 400m to A&E to have a catheter replaced, says his daughter.

Staff called 999, before paramedics arrived to transfer Brian Dunne, 83, from one ward to another at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.

He then had to wait in a queue of ambulances outside A&E, before being seen by medics, according to daughter Sally Sippitts.

An ambulance service spokesperson has confirmed they received an ’emergency 999 call’ that was categories as ‘C2’, the second most serious call.

But Ms Sippitts said her father – who has Alzheimer’s – only needed a catheter changed, and has no idea why this required a transfer by ambulance to A&E.

The mum-of-three and GP receptionist said she spoke to paramedics who were ‘frustrated’ and agreed with her that it was ‘not a good use of their time and resources’.

The crew had been in Perry Barr in Birmingham when called, so had to drive six miles to then make a journey of 400 metres.

Retired postman Mr Dunne has been at the hospital since December 18 last year as his body is retaining fluids and needs to be drained.

Ms Sippitts received a call around 7pm on January 15 to say her father had been moved to A&E and ‘thought the worst’.

‘They then explained they had dialled 999 for an ambulance to take him there and I was a bit confused to say the least,’ she said.

‘So they called him an ambulance to take him to hospital – when he was already at that very hospital.

‘The ward is only around the corner – it’s literally seconds, I couldn’t quite believe it.

‘The ambulance crew were in Perry Barr which is hardly nearby… the paramedics couldn’t believe they were there either.

‘They’ve been called to take a patient already in hospital to the same hospital just for a catheter replacement and apparently this isn’t the first time either.

‘They were very frustrated and completely agreed it was not a good use of their time and resources when there could be someone in desperate need of emergency assistance.’

Ms Sippitts said when she arrived at the hospital he was still in the back of the ambulance, waiting in a queue to get into A&E.

‘He actually seemed quite well when I got there.

‘Once he was finally in A&E, they drained his catheter and replaced it. Why couldn’t they just get somebody to come up to ward to do that?

‘There are nurses on the ward who you’d imagine would have been able to sort it, or at least called somebody up to sort.

‘Instead they transported an 83-year-old man with Alzheimer’s back out of hospital and in again.’

She said she was never given an explanation as to why he was moved by ambulance.

‘I could sort of understand if it was one of those community ambulances they have on site to transport patients,’ she added.

‘But to dial 999 to call for an ambulance to sent to pick up from a hospital is just crazy.

‘The paramedics were fantastic, it’s not their fault. They couldn’t understand it either and said they had been called there before to do exactly the same thing.

‘It is a complete waste of vital resources and taxpayer’s money.’

Ms Sippitts, who together with her sister has been looking after her dad, said the incident was among a string of negative experiences they’ve had with their dad’s care.

It started with his arrival at hospital in December, when he had to wait more then five hours in an ambulance outside the hospital.

Then she was told on New Year’s Eve that the hospital wanted to send him home.

‘I said no because they had not put a proper care package in place and it was going to fall on myself and my sister to sort the catheter and we’re not medically trained.

‘Then on January 10 two district nurses came to his house even though he was still in hospital, so that was another waste of time and resources.

‘On January 11, while he was on another ward, I got there and he was dressed in outdoor clothes.

‘When I asked where he’d got them from they said from a charity bin upstairs.

‘I couldn’t believe it, he looked homeless, the clothes were grubby and there explanation was that ‘well he was cold.’

‘They could have just called me or my sister and we could have brought him some warm clothes up, I was mortified.’

‘It has been one thing after another,’ she added.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We received an emergency 999 call to complete an inter-hospital transfer at Good Hope Hospital at 7.15pm on 15th January.

‘The call was triaged as a C2 call, the second most serious category of call.

‘One ambulance attended the scene and transferred one male patient from the Sheldon Unit to the A&E department.’

A spokesperson for Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We are very sorry to hear that Mr Dunne’s family have concerns about his treatment in our GP-led community ward based at Good Hope Hospital.

‘The safety of our patients is always our number one priority and, in line with the agreed protocol, the ward team took the correct steps to make sure Mr Dunne was able to receive the care he required, as safely as possible.

‘We are inviting Mr Dunne and his family to discuss any aspect of his care with us in confidence.’

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, who manage Ward 7 at Good Hope Hospital, said: ‘We apologise that the environment on Ward 7 was cold, and that Mr Dunne needed some extra clothes to remain comfortable.

‘Our estates team were called immediately to address the issue.’

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