Patient transfer fallout: elderly woman claims she wasn't notified her husband was being moved from LHSC
An elderly London woman says she’s angry her husband was transferred from London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) to Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance in Stratford, more than 80 kilometres away, without her being notified.
“Oh, I said then this is a hand-picked situation,” said Sue Morrison of her conversation with an official from LHSC. “That you’ve decided here we have an 87-year-old man who is confused, due to COVID we’ll get rid of him to bring in outside people.”
More than 46 years married, 85-year-old Sue tells CTV News London she’s the sole caregiver for her husband, Eugene Morrison.
She explained that Eugene was admitted to LHSC Christmas Eve due to issues concerning his hypothyroidism. During his time in hospital, he began to go through spells of confusion.
She said last Thursday she found out he was being moved. By then, she said the wheels were already in motion.
“I said why hasn’t someone notified me or at least had the courtesy to notify me. They claim that he said no one needed to be called. Well he was…for sure confused because always he’s always said, ‘You call my wife,’ or ‘Call Sue.’
The couple’s close friend, Deb Eckenstein, was on hand Monday to console Sue. She said she’s appalled at how the elderly couple appears to have been treated.Sue and Jim Morrison (Sourse: Sue Morrison)“Eighty-five and 87, who does this kind of thing to them? You know it’s rotten, what happened to them,” Eckenstein said.
Facing capacity challenges, LHSC announced last week it would be transferring patients to regional hospitals. Some out-of-town patients would be repatriated to hospitals in their home communities, while a number of London patients would also be moved.
LHSC’s Executive Vice President Carol Young-Ritchie told CTV News London the hospital could not comment on individual patient cases, even with the family’s permission. However, she added that typically the hospital works with families on patient transfers, and if someone believes the system failed, they’re willing to listen.
“We don’t make statements about individual cases but if the family wants to contact me, I’m happy to make sure they get connected to the right people to follow up,” said Young-Ritchie. “You know, honestly, I appreciate this is difficult for families and we’re happy to look into this and see what happened and try to make improvements if we dropped the ball on this. But again, that was not our intent to that family, and we will certainly follow that up.”
As for Sue Morrison, she’s hoping Eugene can be transferred again, but to a closer hospital so she can visit him every day, just as she has for most of the last month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.