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Grieving widow demands answers after hospital taxi dumped her blind husband on doorstep in his pyjamas just hours before he died

GRAEME Aitken's widow Wendy is demanding to know why her gravely ill husband was released from the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy at 4am and sent home in a taxi.

A BLIND man died hours after a hospital taxi dumped him on his doorstep in his pyjamas in the middle of the night.

Graeme Aitken’s heartbroken widow Wendy is now demanding to know why her 66-year-old husband was released from care at 4am with just painkillers when he was gravely ill.

She said: “I’m totally shocked. I’m disgusted. I’m angry that this is happening to people.

“I believe the way my husband was treated contributed greatly to his death.”

Dad-of-two Graeme – who was left blind by a stroke in 1992 – had been rushed to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy at 1am with chest pains, saying he couldn’t breathe.

But Wendy found him clinging to a hedge outside their home in Rosyth, Fife, hours later after he was sent home.

Wendy, 60, added: “It was awful. My last image of him is him standing on the doorstep.

“He shouldn’t have been sent home from A&E. They didn’t send home a sick man, they sent home a dying man. At 4.20am, I heard banging on the door.

“As I looked out of the bedroom window, I saw the back of the hospital taxi disappearing down the street.

“When I got downstairs to the door, my husband was standing saying, ‘Help me, Wendy, please help me’.

“There was a packet with two paracetemol on the hedge which he’d been sent home with.

“This was a blind man, a very sick man and he was on the point of collapse, hanging on to the hedge. He’d been dumped there, just left on the doorstep, a blind man who couldn’t see where he was, standing in his housecoat and pyjamas.

“I managed just to get him into the house. He was totally confused and he was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m going to die. I’ve never felt so bad in my life’. I phoned the health line and they sent an ambulance back again.”

At 7.30am, Wendy got a call to go to the hospital, where she was told Graeme had died.

She said: “He’d had three seizures in the early hours. The professor I spoke to knew nothing about his earlier
admittance. She was shocked.”

Wendy added: “My husband enjoyed life to the full and he should still be alive today sitting in that chair listening to his music.

“He took a stroke in 1992 but his life was good up until a year ago when he took kidney problems. He loved his life. He loved singing and music and had a great sense of humour.”

Former Dunfermline Lib Dem councillor Graeme’s funeral was held in the town yesterday.

Graeme – who worked at Marconi as a planner before gaining a degree in accountancy at Dundee University – is
also survived by his two daughters from a previous marriage, Cheryl and Denise.

Heather Knox, director of acute services, said last night: “NHS Fife is unable to comment on the care of individual patients. However, we would always aim to ensure that we discharge patients safely and ensure any relatives are informed as necessary.

“We would be very happy to investigate the details of this particular situation. We would encourage the family to contact us through our dedicated patient relations team.”

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... er-3293662

Author:	captain cab [ Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Grieving widow demands answers
Grieving widow demands answers after hospital taxi dumped her blind husband on doorstep in his pyjamas just hours before he died GRAEME Aitken's widow Wendy is demanding to know why her gravely ill husband was released from the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy at 4am and sent home in a taxi. A BLIND man died hours after a hospital taxi dumped him on his doorstep in his pyjamas in the middle of the night. Graeme Aitken’s heartbroken widow Wendy is now demanding to know why her 66-year-old husband was released from care at 4am with just painkillers when he was gravely ill. She said: “I’m totally shocked. I’m disgusted. I’m angry that this is happening to people. “I believe the way my husband was treated contributed greatly to his death.” Dad-of-two Graeme – who was left blind by a stroke in 1992 – had been rushed to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy at 1am with chest pains, saying he couldn’t breathe. But Wendy found him clinging to a hedge outside their home in Rosyth, Fife, hours later after he was sent home. Wendy, 60, added: “It was awful. My last image of him is him standing on the doorstep. “He shouldn’t have been sent home from A&E. They didn’t send home a sick man, they sent home a dying man. At 4.20am, I heard banging on the door. “As I looked out of the bedroom window, I saw the back of the hospital taxi disappearing down the street. “When I got downstairs to the door, my husband was standing saying, ‘Help me, Wendy, please help me’. “There was a packet with two paracetemol on the hedge which he’d been sent home with. “This was a blind man, a very sick man and he was on the point of collapse, hanging on to the hedge. He’d been dumped there, just left on the doorstep, a blind man who couldn’t see where he was, standing in his housecoat and pyjamas. “I managed just to get him into the house. He was totally confused and he was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m going to die. I’ve never felt so bad in my life’. I phoned the health line and they sent an ambulance back again.” At 7.30am, Wendy got a call to go to the hospital, where she was told Graeme had died. She said: “He’d had three seizures in the early hours. The professor I spoke to knew nothing about his earlier admittance. She was shocked.” Wendy added: “My husband enjoyed life to the full and he should still be alive today sitting in that chair listening to his music. “He took a stroke in 1992 but his life was good up until a year ago when he took kidney problems. He loved his life. He loved singing and music and had a great sense of humour.” Former Dunfermline Lib Dem councillor Graeme’s funeral was held in the town yesterday. Graeme – who worked at Marconi as a planner before gaining a degree in accountancy at Dundee University – is also survived by his two daughters from a previous marriage, Cheryl and Denise. Heather Knox, director of acute services, said last night: “NHS Fife is unable to comment on the care of individual patients. However, we would always aim to ensure that we discharge patients safely and ensure any relatives are informed as necessary. “We would be very happy to investigate the details of this particular situation. We would encourage the family to contact us through our dedicated patient relations team.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... er-3293662

Author:	Nidge2 [ Tue Apr 01, 2014 1:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
captain cab wrote: Grieving widow demands answers after hospital taxi dumped her blind husband on doorstep in his pyjamas just hours before he died GRAEME Aitken's widow Wendy is demanding to know why her gravely ill husband was released from the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy at 4am and sent home in a taxi. A BLIND man died hours after a hospital taxi dumped him on his doorstep in his pyjamas in the middle of the night. Graeme Aitken’s heartbroken widow Wendy is now demanding to know why her 66-year-old husband was released from care at 4am with just painkillers when he was gravely ill. She said: “I’m totally shocked. I’m disgusted. I’m angry that this is happening to people. “I believe the way my husband was treated contributed greatly to his death.” Dad-of-two Graeme – who was left blind by a stroke in 1992 – had been rushed to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy at 1am with chest pains, saying he couldn’t breathe. But Wendy found him clinging to a hedge outside their home in Rosyth, Fife, hours later after he was sent home. Wendy, 60, added: “It was awful. My last image of him is him standing on the doorstep. “He shouldn’t have been sent home from A&E. They didn’t send home a sick man, they sent home a dying man. At 4.20am, I heard banging on the door. “As I looked out of the bedroom window, I saw the back of the hospital taxi disappearing down the street. “When I got downstairs to the door, my husband was standing saying, ‘Help me, Wendy, please help me’. “There was a packet with two paracetemol on the hedge which he’d been sent home with. “This was a blind man, a very sick man and he was on the point of collapse, hanging on to the hedge. He’d been dumped there, just left on the doorstep, a blind man who couldn’t see where he was, standing in his housecoat and pyjamas. “I managed just to get him into the house. He was totally confused and he was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m going to die. I’ve never felt so bad in my life’. I phoned the health line and they sent an ambulance back again.” At 7.30am, Wendy got a call to go to the hospital, where she was told Graeme had died. She said: “He’d had three seizures in the early hours. The professor I spoke to knew nothing about his earlier admittance. She was shocked.” Wendy added: “My husband enjoyed life to the full and he should still be alive today sitting in that chair listening to his music. “He took a stroke in 1992 but his life was good up until a year ago when he took kidney problems. He loved his life. He loved singing and music and had a great sense of humour.” Former Dunfermline Lib Dem councillor Graeme’s funeral was held in the town yesterday. Graeme – who worked at Marconi as a planner before gaining a degree in accountancy at Dundee University – is also survived by his two daughters from a previous marriage, Cheryl and Denise. Heather Knox, director of acute services, said last night: “NHS Fife is unable to comment on the care of individual patients. However, we would always aim to ensure that we discharge patients safely and ensure any relatives are informed as necessary. “We would be very happy to investigate the details of this particular situation. We would encourage the family to contact us through our dedicated patient relations team.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott ... er-3293662 I had a call like this a few Sundays ago at 4:30am in the morning, an 80 year old man had been dumped at A&E reception after being discharged off a ward after being in hospital for 6 days. All he had with him was a carrier bag with his medication inside. Even the receptionist on A&E was disgusted that the doctor who'd discharged him at 4am in the morning.

Author:	trotskys twin [ Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
So the Taxi driver assisted in abusing this man ffs.......................surely the Taxi Driver should have wheeled the geezer back into A&E and read the riot act..........i did many years ago why didnt this c*nt ....................there but for the grace of God............its called humanity LOOK AFTER YOUR FELLOW MAN

Author:	captain cab [ Thu May 29, 2014 5:16 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
Health board apologises for sending taxi bill to patient who died hours after being discharged from hospital Widow of Graeme Aitken says she is still waiting for an explanation of decision to send her husband home Wendy Aitken from Rosyth, Fife, whose blind and seriously ill husband Kenneth Graeme was left on the doorstep of his home in the early hours of the morning having being taken to the Victoria Hospital hours earlier A health board has apologised for sending a taxi bill to the widow of a man who was left clinging to a hedge outside his home after being sent home from hospital 24 hours before he died. Graeme Aitken, 66, who was blind, was dressed only in pyjamas when he was dropped at his home in Rosyth, Fife, at 4am with a packet of Paracetamol. His treatment caused a furore two months ago when his wife Wendy revealed that she found him outside shouting for help. She then phoned another ambulance to take him straight back to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, where the father-of-two died the next day. An investigation has been launched into his treatment after she asked why the hospital had sent home a “dying man”. She has now revealed that the health board has been forced to apologise after sending a taxi bill for her husband’s ill-fated journey home. The letter, addressed to the late Mr Aitken, was headed "recharge of taxis", dated May 7, and said: "On the 14.03.14 a hospital taxi was arranged to enable you to return home after attending the Accident & Emergency of the Victoria Hospital, as you had no funds with you. The cost of the taxi was £25.30. "This was made as a loan and I would be grateful if you could arrange to make the repayment at your earliest convenience." Mrs Aitken said it was “extremely upsetting”, adding: “It was dreadful the way my husband died. That should never have happened and then to get this letter addressed to him is unbelievable. "I am still waiting for answers on why he was sent home in the first place.” Heather Knox, director of acute services for NHS Fife, has written to the widow, saying: "It is terrible that this happened and once again I offer you a sincere apology. We have taken immediate action to ensure this can never happen again as I appreciate how distressing and inappropriate that request was.” She also addressed the issue of Mr Aitken’s discharge, saying that staff should have notified Mrs Aitken that he was about to be sent home, and should have ensured he had access to the right level of support to allow him to go home. She added: “We do not think it was acceptable that he was discharged in the manner that he was and we offer you a sincere apology for that. "In future all patients requiring a taxi for discharge will need to be discussed with the senior nurse on duty to ensure that all factors, such as access to support, family notification and attire have been taken into account. "We hope that by doing this it will prevent a similar situation from re-occurring." Ms Knox said in a separate statement that the letter about the taxi fare was the result of a clerical error. She added that Mrs Aitken would receive a full report on her husband’s discharge when an independent review was completed. Mr Aitken, a former Liberal Democrat councillor for Dunfermline, had a stroke in the 1990s that left him blind. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... pital.html

Author:	captain cab [ Thu May 29, 2014 5:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
It goes from bad to f*cking awful this story - are these people totally without shame?

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Author:	GBC [ Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:37 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
Jesus Christ, who are these people? What a [edited by admin] up and a half! I don't often advocate the legal route, but I hope she's speaking to a lawyer and some journalists as we read this.

Author:	cabby john [ Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:56 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
Haven't you all noticed these days.........it will be a bog standard apology- of course that makes it alright

Author:	Cabhappy [ Thu Jun 05, 2014 5:55 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
Maybe I missed something. Is anyone else wondering why the taxi driver who dumped a blind man in pyjamas against a hedge at 4am banged the door and fcked off has not been hunted down and shot?

Author:	Skull [ Thu Jun 05, 2014 6:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
Cabhappy wrote: Maybe I missed something. Is anyone else wondering why the taxi driver who dumped a blind man in pyjamas against a hedge at 4am banged the door and fcked off has not been hunted down and shot? The taxi driver did no more than expected. Picture the scene, you appear at the hospital, and a member of staff acknowledges your presence. They then help you by assisting this person in his pajamas, into the back of your taxi and give you instructions to drop him off at his home address.. At this point, you wouldn't be thinking there was a problem. You then arrive at the address, help the gentleman to his front door and knock, expecting someone to greet him. You jump back in your taxi and pull away, job done. A few second may be even minutes later, everything goes pear-shaped. I don't think there was any dumping or propping someone up against a hedge and fu*king off. I think the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the hospital, for sending this poor guy home in the first place.

Author:	trotskys twin [ Thu Jun 05, 2014 11:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
trotskys twin wrote: So the Taxi driver assisted in abusing this man ffs.......................surely the Taxi Driver should have wheeled the geezer back into A&E and read the riot act..........i did many years ago why didnt this c*nt ....................there but for the grace of God............its called humanity LOOK AFTER YOUR FELLOW MAN THE CAB DRIVER SHOULD BE HUNTED DOWN AND SHOT SAYS CABHAPPY ..............................I'LL SECOND THAT PROPOSAL

Author:	cabby john [ Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:35 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
trotskys twin wrote: trotskys twin wrote: So the Taxi driver assisted in abusing this man ffs.......................surely the Taxi Driver should have wheeled the geezer back into A&E and read the riot act..........i did many years ago why didnt this c*nt ....................there but for the grace of God............its called humanity LOOK AFTER YOUR FELLOW MAN THE CAB DRIVER SHOULD BE HUNTED DOWN AND SHOT SAYS CABHAPPY ..............................I'LL SECOND THAT PROPOSAL Nope, for once I will agree with Skull.....once in a while he does talk some sense

Author:	trotskys twin [ Fri Jun 06, 2014 4:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
cabby john wrote: trotskys twin wrote: trotskys twin wrote: So the Taxi driver assisted in abusing this man ffs.......................surely the Taxi Driver should have wheeled the geezer back into A&E and read the riot act..........i did many years ago why didnt this c*nt ....................there but for the grace of God............its called humanity LOOK AFTER YOUR FELLOW MAN THE CAB DRIVER SHOULD BE HUNTED DOWN AND SHOT SAYS CABHAPPY ..............................I'LL SECOND THAT PROPOSAL Nope, for once I will agree with Skull.....once in a while he does talk some sense hoi sheep dip would yer feel like that had it been your father left on his own

Author:	Skull [ Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:27 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
So it's the cab driver's job to carry out medical assessments on patients, the Doctors have previously judged as being fit enough to be sent home. The taxi driver in this case might have had his suspicions, but understandably, he would not feel qualified to pass judgement. No way, Trotsk, to blame the cab driver in this case is to turn him into a scapegoat. The responsibility lies with the hospital and whoever took the decision to send him home.

Author:	gusmac [ Fri Jun 06, 2014 8:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
Agree with you Skull, hospital responsible if the guy was not fit to be sent home. That said, would it have hurt the driver to wait and make sure the guy got in?

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Author:	Skull [ Fri Jun 06, 2014 10:22 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Grieving widow demands answers
gusmac wrote: Agree with you Skull, hospital responsible if the guy was not fit to be sent home. That said, would it have hurt the driver to wait and make sure the guy got in? I did a job once to Galashiels, in the middle of winter. This guy was just off the rigs, boats or something, loaded with cash and as pi*hed as a fart. I got the cash up front and thought I was well in front, until hitting the icy snow covered roads on the way there. It seemed to take for ever, as I watched the value of the job disappearing before my very eyes. Upon my arrival, I then had to contend with this unconscious drunk in the back of my cab. I ended up dragging him out of the taxi and leaving him at the front door of the unmanned police station. And the moral of the story is, you are out there trying to earn a living and there is only so much you can do under the circumstances.