Mentally ill woman told to sleep in armchair at hospital

5:00pm Monday 4th March 2013 in Echo News Exclusive By Luke Lambert

Linda Dobson is calling for answers Linda Dobson is calling for answers

A MENTALLY ill woman was taken out of her hospital bed and told to spend the night in an armchair by nurses.

Marnie Chantler, 43, of Somercotes, Laindon, had been receiving treatment at Basildon Hospital for 10 days for a personality disorder when doctors said she needed to be kept in another night.

However, nurses didn’t get the message and moved the woman from her bed to an armchair in a side room where she had to spend the night.

Mrs Chantler’s furious mum Linda Dobson, 64, has now complained to the South Essex Partnership Trust, who are responsible for the mental health unit at the hospital.

Mrs Dobson from Thornbush, Laindon, said: “It is disgraceful behaviour from the nurses. I want to know how they could let this happen. I am very surprised that someone with mental issues was allowed to sleep in an armchair. The most infuriating thing is she was still a patient but she seemed to lose her privilege. She wasn’t treated well.”

Mrs Chantler, a mum of tow, was admitted to the Westley ward inside the mental health unit on Wednesday, February 6. She was due to be sent home on Tuesday, February 19, but a risk assessment carried out by doctors that evening found she needed to be kept in. However, when the nursing shift changed over a little later at 8.30pm they had not been informed that Mrs Chantler was still a patient and told her she had to vacate her bed for another patient.

Mrs Chantler was not in the right frame of mind to leave the hospital so was told to stay in an armchair in the quiet side room. Mrs Dobson has written a letter of complaint to the hospital and the South Essex Partnership Trust, who are responsible for the mental health unit.

A spokesman for the South Essex Partnership Trust said: “The trust is investigating a formal complaint and will respond to the patient addressing all concerns raised.”

Comments(11)

Cosmo Spring says...
5:45pm Mon 4 Mar 13

a mum of tow


what was she towing?

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perini says...
5:56pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Although there has been a change at the top level of management I won't be surprised if the old contrite 'lessons will be learnt' mantra gets written out. When will someone become accountable for this place?

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supermadmax says...
8:01pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Cosmo Spring wrote:
a mum of tow


what was she towing?
Newspaper of the year ? Priceless.....

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pendulum says...
8:03pm Mon 4 Mar 13

There's always a shortage for beds. I do not blame the hospital if they decided another patient had a greater need for that bed, considering the woman appears to be in normal physical health. The article does state she was moved "for another patient" so it seems a bit of a non-story to me.

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emcee says...
8:27pm Mon 4 Mar 13

pendulum wrote:
There's always a shortage for beds. I do not blame the hospital if they decided another patient had a greater need for that bed, considering the woman appears to be in normal physical health. The article does state she was moved "for another patient" so it seems a bit of a non-story to me.
She did not choose to stay another night.
Quote: "...doctors said she NEEDED to be kept in another night".
So, what this says is, if she did not need to be there she would have been sent home.
It does not matter why or how a patient becomes a patient but whilst they are they must be afforded the same care and privilege as any other patient. Something this person was denied.
So this is certainly not a "non-story".

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Mikkel1 says...
10:33pm Mon 4 Mar 13

The photo shows the MOTHER of the patient.

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pendulum says...
10:52pm Mon 4 Mar 13

emcee wrote:
pendulum wrote:
There's always a shortage for beds. I do not blame the hospital if they decided another patient had a greater need for that bed, considering the woman appears to be in normal physical health. The article does state she was moved "for another patient" so it seems a bit of a non-story to me.
She did not choose to stay another night.
Quote: "...doctors said she NEEDED to be kept in another night".
So, what this says is, if she did not need to be there she would have been sent home.
It does not matter why or how a patient becomes a patient but whilst they are they must be afforded the same care and privilege as any other patient. Something this person was denied.
So this is certainly not a "non-story".
She may have NEEDED to stay in the hospital, within contact of medical staff. I never suggested otherwise. But she did not NEED the bed, as she was not in any physical pain or discomfort. Perhaps another patient came in who really did NEED the bed because they had injured themselves physically, and that is why she was moved.

For example. If you have 10 beds and 12 patients, what do you expect them to do? Turn away someone who really needs the bed, or move a fit and physically healthy person out of one?

It might not be the IDEAL solution but it's about making the best of a bad situation.

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fletch12107 says...
8:05am Tue 5 Mar 13

emcee wrote:
pendulum wrote:
There's always a shortage for beds. I do not blame the hospital if they decided another patient had a greater need for that bed, considering the woman appears to be in normal physical health. The article does state she was moved "for another patient" so it seems a bit of a non-story to me.
She did not choose to stay another night.
Quote: "...doctors said she NEEDED to be kept in another night".
So, what this says is, if she did not need to be there she would have been sent home.
It does not matter why or how a patient becomes a patient but whilst they are they must be afforded the same care and privilege as any other patient. Something this person was denied.
So this is certainly not a "non-story".
So staying in hospital for another night would have cured her personality order...I don't think so. Her daughter is furious with the nurses but they never got the instruction to keep her mother in so how is it their fault. Take your mother home and look after her there if you think she is not getting good treatment.

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Carnabackable says...
10:24am Tue 5 Mar 13

So whats the issue, a comfortable chair is better than nothing...

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whataday says...
7:44pm Tue 5 Mar 13

She was an in-patient and had not been discharged so she should still have had her bed. It seems the fault was the handover between nursing shifts.

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runwellian says...
2:35pm Wed 6 Mar 13

I cannot see how staying another night would have made any difference!
Why didn't the family and staff discuss what was best for the patient, and what the risk would have been had the patient gone home with her relative!

I find it very hard indeed to believe that this hospital would allow a patient to sleep in a chair!

If the doctors knew there was not a bed, a decision should have been made re what was best for the patient, and if the patient was not sectioned, which appears to be the case, she could have gone home regardless of what doctors / staff say!

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