A woman took a photograph of her 96-year-old father slumped in an armchair while still wearing his hospital gown after he was left home alone by an ambulance driver.

Cliff Schofield had been discharged from Rotherham General Hospital and driven home still wearing his gown before his family could arrive, give him clothes and take him home themselves, she says.

Jane Jessop, who also lives in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, said she was ‘absolutely disgusted’ to find her father in such a state.

Cliff Schofield, 96, was found like this, slumped in a chair in his hospital gown, by his horrified daughter (Picture: nb press ltd)

She told The Sun: ‘The driver surely has a duty of care for the person he is taking home?




‘When I got to his house he was inside, curled up in a chair far too small for him.

‘A few feet away was a bigger armchair with a cushion but they appear to have just dumped him in the first chair they came across without any thought for his welfare.

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‘He was there for 30 minutes before I got there. I couldn’t believe it.’

Mr Schofield, a retired steelworker, had been taken to hospital after falling out of bed while at a respite home earlier this month where he injured his back and hand.

After staying at hospital for two nights Mrs Jessop, 66, was told by hospital staff that her father would be released.

She rushed to the hospital to pick him up, bringing clothes for him.

But she says that when she arrived at the hospital, staff didn’t seem to know where her father was.

Mr Schofield was taken home from Rotherham General Hospital in an ambulance before his family could arrive to give him clothes and take him home themselves (Picture: Google)

Mr Schofield, who has two children and one grandchild and lost his wife Annie ten years ago, has carers visiting four times a day, as well as Mrs Jessop.

His daughter said he ‘can communicate but just gets confused’ adding he was sent home by the hospital at around 3.30pm before she could return.

When Mrs Jessop and her husband Brian found Mr Schofield, they were so angered by what they saw that they decided to take a picture and send it to the hospital.

Brian said: ‘We want to know why he was discharged without any clothes, how the driver gained entry to his house and why he was left on his own.’

Mrs Jessop said: ‘They are supposed to be doing a thorough investigation and in all fairness the lady at the hospital was just as horrified he had been treated so badly.’

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the ‘inadequate’ care and said it is investigating the incident.

Chris Morley, Chief Nurse at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We are extremely sorry for the experience of Mr Schofield and his family and agree that this is an inappropriate level of care which is not consistent with the quality of care that we aim to provide.

‘We will be undertaking an immediate investigation around the circumstances of Mr Schofield’s discharge and we have already taken steps to address the concerns raised.’

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