A REVIEW into the death of an 87-year-old woman found she had been wrongfully released from hospital three weeks before she passed away.

The woman, referred to as Lucy, died at Basildon Hospital NHS Trust on 28 April 2020 on April 28, 2020.

The widow, who lived in Basildon, had suffered a fall at home on April 6 – having been released from hospital that morning for an earlier fall at her home on February 21.

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A recently published Essex Safeguarding Adults Board review found the Mayfield Unit at Thurrock Hospital, run by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), had had made a mistake releasing Lucy.

Lucy had asked to be released, having spent more than a month in hospital, first being treated at Basildon Hospital, before moving to Mountessing Court in Billericay for three weeks of assisted physical therapy.

However, as a result of the growing coronavirus pandemic, Mountessing Court was closed and she was moved to the Mayfield Unit at Thurrock Hospital.

Lucy’s daughter had expressed concerns that her mother was not safe to manage at home independently and she herself would be unable to provide support because she was isolating due to Covid-19.

However, on the morning of April 6, Lucy was released after expressing a desire to leave.

“It remains unclear whether Lucy had the mental capacity to make the decision to go home,” the report said.

Her daughter organised for an agency carer to visit that evening. On arrival Lucy was found on the floor, alert and conscious, however, was complaining of pain in her hip.

Lucy was taken to Basildon University Hospital, where she was found to have fractured her right neck of femur for which she underwent surgery.

She continued to decline and died on April 28. The cause of death was noted to be “aspiration pneumonia”; contributing factors were severe clinical frailty, ischaemic heart disease and hip fracture followed by surgery.

Poor communication from the clinical teams at the Mayfield Unit and a failure to listen to concerns raised by Lucy’s family were found to have contributed to her release, the report found.

Her daughter told investigators she felt that the organisations providing care to her mother were not ‘in her corner’, adding she felt staff had been rude and dismissive.

NELFT has been contacted for comment.