An elderly person sustained head injuries in hospital after being pushed by a patient with severe mental health issues who was put in the same ward.
The “frail” patient who is understood to be around 90 years old fell to the floor at a Royal Bolton Hospital ward after an altercation with another patient who was “prone to outbursts”.
Hospital bosses admitted that the two patients should not have been on the same ward – but they blame a lack of mental health facilities.
The case was brought to the attention of the board of directors at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust following a Serious Incident report.
Andrew Thornton, who chairs the quality assurance committee, told the board that Bolton’s clinical commissioning group (CCG) will look into the issues within the system.
He said: “Someone relatively young was admitted with quite severe mental health issues and quite prone to outbursts. On the same ward, we had someone in their nineties who was quite frail.
“The older patient was being pushed by the younger patient, fell over and sustained a head injury.
“The issue that needs to be raised is more of a system issue. These two patients shouldn’t have been together. But it was the lack of facility for the mental health patient. There is a lack of mental health facilities in the area.
“We’re happy with what’s happening in terms of the Serious Incident report. But we think the remedy and the solution is far greater than Bolton FT.”
The Serious Incident report was approved by the quality assurance committee on February 19.
Concerns were raised regarding resources available for mental health patients but recognised that this is a system-wide issue.
The CCG will consider the system issue and feedback in a report on care of mental health patients in A&E due in May.
