Rotherham woman, 86, stuck in Northern General Hospital five weeks after being discharged

• Report by Amelia Beckett.

An 86-year-old woman from Rotherham has been stuck in a hospital bed in Sheffield for five weeks after she was told she was fit to be discharged.

Beryl Mollekin was first admitted to Northern General Hospital on 25 January after a fall at home.

After breaking her shoulder, rib and femur she needed surgery the following day. But by 7 March, she was told she no longer needed to be in hospital.

Her daughter, Beverley Davies, said because she could no longer walk and had other complex needs she needed to be admitted into a care home.

But delays in finding one means Mrs Mollekin is still stuck in hospital five weeks later.

Her daughter Beverley told ITV News: "We made it quite clear mum needed 24 hour care. We found a place that's amazing that told us they have a place for her.

"We said this to the hospital but they said unfortunately it doesn't work like that. We can't choose."

When someone is discharged from hospital who needs onward care, an assessment is made about the type of provision they need.

Cathy Winfield MBE, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said: "We’re very sorry that Mrs Mollekin has been an inpatient for longer than is required.

"We very much understand the concerns of her family and we are working hard to try to discharge her from hospital. Unfortunately, due to the significant ongoing care Mrs Mollekin requires it has been difficult to find a suitable next place of care.

"All NHS and care partners are working together to try to resolve this as soon as possible and the clinical team caring for Mrs Mollekin are continuing to keep them fully informed about her ongoing care."

But Beverly says over the past five weeks, her mother's condition has rapidly deteriorated because she's not being cared for in the right setting.

Beverley added: "She's a different person. When she went in she was totally sound of mind and very alert. But now, a month down the line from that, she's just deteriorating every day.

"You can imagine what it's like for us as a family. We're all rallying around, making calls but it's just not happening. It feels like there's no end."

Problems with discharging medically fit patients from hospitals is a national issue.

In December 2022, an average of 13,440 patients a day remained in hospital despite no longer meeting the criteria to stay. This is 30% more than the daily average for December 2021.

The government has created a £500 million discharge fund to help ease the pressure. Just over £14 million has gone to South Yorkshire.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: "We’re fully committed to speeding up the safe discharge of patients who no longer need to be in hospital, and last week announced details of an extra £1.6 billion to support this over the next two years.

"We are also investing billions into the integration of health and social care and helping those with complex needs live at home for longer."

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