Gran with dementia discharged from University Hospital Hairmyers with cannula in arm

The family of a gran with dementia have launched a complaint after she was discharged from a Lanarkshire hospital with a cannula left in her arm.

Shakuntala Gupta, 76, was admitted to University Hospital Hairmyers after suffering with bladder and bowel issues.

After being discharged and taken back to her East Kilbride home by ambulance on Monday, June 6, her family discovered she had a cannula – a plastic tube containing a needle inserted into a patient’s body in order to deliver medication – still inserted in her arm.

The OAP’s son, Shalabh, has now launched a formal complaint against the hospital after what he has called “lazy” and “dangerous” practice.

Shakuntala suffers from dementia. Shalabh Gupta via Supplied

He told STV News: “I’m angry. I was reading a previous story about a man who died from an infection after being discharged with a cannula still in his arm.

“Even the ambulance bringing her home didn’t notice, I just don’t know how this can happen.

“I don’t know if its laziness or staff that are ignoring patients.

“It’s dangerous, especially with a patient with dementia as she could have pulled the cannula out herself, which would have led to a lot of blood being lost.

“I just don’t understand why they did not take it out even in the hospital, as it did not need to be there for as long as it was.”

After Shalabh’s wife, Ritu, returned to the hospital to alert staff, a nurse from the ward drove to the family home to remove the needle and apologised.

Shalabh added: “A nurse came from the ward and took the cannula out. My mother is okay now and back home.

“The nurse who was sent out passed on an apology from the hospital.

“It’s not good enough, and it’s not the first time the hospital has mistreated my mother.

“She was previously moved from a ward to a cafeteria, and I found her in her bed semi-naked and soaked in urine.

“I’ll be launching a formal complaint.”

Lise Axford, chief of nursing services at University Hospital Hairmyres, said: “Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss individual cases.

“We regret any instance where someone feels we have failed to provide the highest standard of care. We have a complaints process via our patient affairs team and we would always encourage anyone to contact us in this way if they wish to raise any concerns to allow them to be fully investigated.

“Our patient affairs team tried to make contact with the complainant to clarify information and to obtain consent to progress the complaint but no response was received.”