Pensioner tells of 60-mile round trip to help husband stuck in hospital

A pensioner has spoken of her frustration and heartbreak as a lack of available carers means her husband has been confined to a hospital ward for months despite being medically fit for discharge.

Violet Thomas, 75, from Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, said she makes a 60-mile round trip every day to ensure her husband John, who is known as Jackie, is physically able to eat his lunch.

Mr Thomas, 79, was previously diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) - a rare, progressive neurological condition for which there is no cure.

John Thomas, who is known as Jackie, and his wife Violet | Contributed

He can no longer walk and struggles to eat by himself.

“Even though I’m completely exhausted, it feels like I have no choice but to continue my daily trips, sit by his bed, and wait for a carer to become available,” Ms Thomas said.

Her case has now been raised by Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of Scottish Labour, who writes in The Scotsman today: “This is the misery behind just one of the nearly 2,000 cases of delayed discharge in Scotland.”

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Ms Thomas said her husband was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s but the medication seemed to make things worse. He was then diagnosed with PSP after being admitted to a specialist unit 30 miles from their home in December last year.

“He was still walking when he was first admitted, but due to staff shortages, Jackie received no physiotherapy,” she said.

“To reduce his risk of falls, he was encouraged to stay in bed. Over time, he completely lost his strength. Now, he can no longer walk, and he even struggles to eat by himself.

“Jackie was a good-sized man when he went into hospital, but he’s down to about eight stone now. The hospital food hasn’t always been suitable for someone with his swallowing difficulties - initially he was only managing soup and ice cream. He is now given pureed food.

“Because of his weakness, he doesn’t really eat unless someone is there to help and encourage him. During the day, the ward team just don’t have the time. They put the meal in front of him and pop back an hour later, when it is most likely left, untouched. Now, I travel 60 miles round-trip every single day just to ensure he eats his lunch.”

Violet and Jackie | Contributed

She said Mr Thomas was deemed medically fit for discharge three months ago, and the council helped her install a wet room, hoist, and profile bed in preparation. He was awarded 28 hours of care per week, with two carers visiting three times a day to help.

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“Everything is sitting at home, ready and waiting for him,” Ms Thomas said. “The sticking point is finding the carers to do the job. The council is advertising the role with two agencies and Capability Scotland, but no joy yet.

“We live in a remote village, so securing care support is incredibly difficult.”

She added: “I’m 75 years old with my own health problems - I simply cannot manage his care by myself. My grown-up children help when they can, but they have their own jobs and families. They can't provide the hours of support Jackie needs.”

Ms Baillie accused successive SNP governments of failing to come up with a plan to make social care sustainable.

Writing in The Scotsman, she said: “Perhaps it’s unsurprising that Violet, in a rural village, struggled to find carers – but even rural villages have shops and cafes, and garages staffed by working-aged people.

“The reality is that it’s hard to find carers because the Scottish government doesn’t pay them enough.”

She added: “Carers support people at the most difficult times in their lives, yet the SNP expects them to do this for less than a supermarket worker would get stacking shelves.

“When the SNP sets out its programme for government in September, it must put social care front and centre. That’s the only way to free up hospital beds and allow hospital staff to treat urgent cases.

“And that’s the only way to ensure that patients like Jackie can return to where they want to be – home.”

A spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership said it could not comment on individual cases.

SNP public health minister Maree Todd said: “Nobody should have to wait longer than necessary to access social care support and my thoughts are with Jackie and Violet at this unbelievably difficult time.

“It is for Integration Joint Boards to deliver local services which meet local needs and I expect this to happen - it’s why we provided local government with a record settlement of £15.7 billion this year and why we are providing £2.3 billion for social care.

“Regrettably the UK government’s hostile approach to migration and its decision to close various visa routes has made it incredibly difficult for international social care staff to come and work in our communities.

“We will continue to urge the UK Government to reverse its damaging policies and we are taking all the steps available within our devolved powers to improve social care work.

“For example, we are establishing a voluntary social care bargaining body which will provide a forum for trade unions and care providers to negotiate better wages and wider terms and conditions for more than 110,000 workers delivering adult social care services commissioned by local government.”