Swindon stroke patient 'moved to Covid city' after fight for life

The daughter of a man who had a major stroke has expressed her concern about her dad being moved to a ward next door to Covid patients when he is still very unwell and vulnerable.

She told the Adver that her 77-year-old dad had a major, life-threatening stroke five weeks ago, which doctors thought he would not survive.

He was treated at the Great Western Hospital and then moved to the rehabilitation unit at Chippenham Hospital, but once he arrived he was told the patients in the room next to his all had Covid and to take extra precautions, like wearing a mask.

Shortly after his arrival, a man on his ward tested positive for Covid.

His daughter, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “He had a bleed on half his brain and we were told he wouldn’t survive, but he has fought it and he had pneumonia twice and urine infections. He is still extremely weak and fragile.

“I cannot believe they are still discharging patients to facilities where Covid is prevalent. It reminds me of how things were years ago. Mum described it as ‘Covid city’ and it must be bad for her to complain, because she thinks the NHS is the best thing since sliced bread.

“To put him in that environment has upset me and I felt like the transfer was premature because he didn’t have any medications sorted for his cardiac problems and they didn’t tell us at Great Western Hospital that the patients had Covid.

"It’s disgusting not to be informed and I would have fought it if I had known and said they couldn’t move him. It’s not acceptable; it’s not right. I can’t visit him because I have an autoimmune disease so I can’t risk catching it. It’s heart-breaking.

“My sisters live in America and they flew back when he had the stroke. Mum is getting two buses from Devizes to Chippenham everyday to see him and she’s 75 - if she gets Covid what happens then? Having his family there is helping his recovery and it’s likely he will be in there for a number of weeks yet."

A spokesperson from Wiltshire Health and Care, which oversees the delivery of adult community health services, said: “Wiltshire Health and Care take the safety of staff, patients and visitors extremely seriously.

"We continue to follow the national guidance on the management of respiratory infections in a healthcare setting.”