Woman with rare genetic condition claims she's been discharged by hospital to make way for Covid-19 patients
Video report by David Hirst
A woman with a rare and potentially fatal genetic condition says she has been discharged by a hospital to make way for coronavirus patients.
Laura Wareham, from South Yorkshire needs round-the-clock care.
She claims the decision by doctors at Doncaster Royal Infirmary is "tantamount to being sent home to die".
The hospital trust has told ITV News Calendar that the decision to safely discharge Laura was taken only after months of consultation.
Laura has Ehlers Danlos, a syndrome with multiple rare genetic conditions. She has chronic pain and has to be fed food, drink and medicine intravenously.
She is back home two months after the death of the person she called her"rock," her sister Tanya who also had Ehlers Danlos, but was also battling cancer.
The family claims that Laura has been sent home without a care plan in place, and without adequate resources.
This has been denied by the the Trust which says it bought the family a fridge for medicines and offered her father training to take bloods. It also says it offered a discharge to a care home.
Dr Tim Noble, Medical Director at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said that patients are only discharged when it is safe and clinically appropriate to do so.
Laura's MP, Alexander Stafford said that she is being failed by the system, adding all non-Covid patients should have access to the best treatment.