DEAD WRONG; MEDICAL ERROR 1 Mum moves wards .. but hospital tells family she's died.Byline: By STEPHEN WHITE A DISTRAUGHT dis·traught adj. 1. Deeply agitated, as from emotional conflict. 2. Mad; insane. [Middle English, alteration of distract, past participle of distracten, family was told by a hospital their mum had died - when she was alive and well after simply moving wards. Sonia Roberts was told mother-in-law Alice Roberts, 89, had passed away during the night when she rang the pensioner's original ward to ask about her condition. She broke the devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. news to her husband Geoffrey. Alice's social worker and an undertaker were also informed. But the next day Sonia learned gran of four Alice was sitting up in bed after being taken to a different ward. Sonia, 64 - whose family is to lodge a formal complaint - said: "We were shell-shocked to be told she was dead. "I couldn't understand it. I'd visited her the night before and she was doing so well. "This has been an awful thing to go through, especially when we haven't even had an apology." Alice, of Accrington, Lancs, was admitted to Royal Blackburn Hospital The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. after cutting her head in a fall on New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. . Sonia said: "The doctor said she'd be fine and she was just being kept in hospital for observation. "When I called the next morning something didn't feel right. "I asked them to check and they told me Alice had died." Sonia told husband Geoffrey, 61, who contacted funeral directors. He said: "I was shocked to be told mum had died." Alice's social worker and care manager were also given the grim news. But Sonia still thought something was wrong. The next day, knowing Alice had been due to be transferred to a new ward, she contacted the Royal Blackburn again. She said: "I phoned the new ward and explained what I'd been told. They were furious and said a woman fitting Alice's description had been brought in. I was so relieved. But I still needed to see her myself." Alice's care scheme said: "This mistake beggars belief. It's been awful for the family." The hospital has begun an inquiry. East Lance Hospitals NHS Trust National Health Service Trusts (NHS Trusts) provide many services of the National Health Service in England and Wales. They are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. , said: "We haven't been spoken to directly by the family. "If they contact us, we'll be happy to discuss any issues with them." stephen.white@mirror.co.uk CAPTION(S): CLOSE: Alice, Sonia, Geoff |
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