Desperate to leave hospital after three months

Desperate to leave hospital after three months

3 April 2013

A DOWNPATRICK woman who underwent lifesaving surgery at the start of the year is still waiting to be discharged from hospital.

Eileen Harper — who had a large part of her bowel removed — can’t return to her family as she’s waiting to be connected to and trained how to use a complex nutrition system which is rarely used outside a hospital setting.

Currently a patient at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, Mrs. Harper is waiting to be moved to the Royal Victoria to be trained how to use a Total Parental Nutrition (TPN) system. But she’s concerned she has taken up a hospital bed for three months waiting for the procedure.

The Royal is the only hospital in Northern Ireland with the expertise to train patients and district nurses to use the system which provides essential daily nutrients which are administered intravenously.

Health officials say once Mrs. Harper has been connected to the system and trained how to use it, she will be discharged and managed at home on a daily basis by district nurses.

They say it’s rare for patients in the community to use the TPN system and that meticulous planning is required before the Downpatrick woman can be discharged.

Initially diagnosed with a stomach bug by an out-of-hours GP, it was subsequently discovered Mrs. Harper had a decaying embolism which had started to rot a large part of her bowel. She underwent two lifesaving operations spending a total of 16 hours in surgery.

“The doctors were not sure if I would pull through and I spent four days in intensive care. Due to the nature of my operation, I am fed nutrients intravenously on a daily basis via what is essentially a small feeding tube in my arm,” she explained.

“I am waiting to go to the Royal to have this line relocated to my heart and to be trained how to use the TPN system so I can be discharged and monitored at home by district nurses.”

Mrs. Harper has been informed by health officials that one of the barriers to her discharge is that district nurses in the Downpatrick area have limited knowledge about the TPN system and require training.

“I have taken up a hospital bed for almost three months which I have no doubt could be put to much better use. It has been very hard to be away from my family for so long and while I have been allowed home for a few hours on a couple of occasions, I have to go back to the Ulster each time which is both upsetting and very frustrating,” she said.

“Since I have been in hospital I have missed my daughters’ 19th and 21st birthday parties. I have also missed four of my grandchildren’s birthday parties and want home.”

A spokeswoman for the South Eastern Trust explained the TPN system is a complete nutrition regime which has to be run over 12 hours every day and is extremely complex.

She said the Royal is the only hospital with the expertise to provide the training which she described as “quite intense.”

“Once a patient is deemed suitable and has received the training, district nurses will manage the care on a daily basis. Until very recently, no patient receiving TPN was managed in the community and it is still very rare and very selective. But it is of great benefit to the patient as it avoids lengthy visits to hospital and frequent disruption to their lives,” the spokeswoman added.

South Down Assemblyman Chris Hazzard, who has met with Mrs. Harper to discuss her concerns, said he plans to raise her case with Health Minister Edwin Poots.