HUNDREDS of people have discharged themselves from Barrow's hospital against medical advice in the last three years.

A total of 930 patients chose to ignore the advice of doctors to leave Furness General Hospital between 2012 and 2015 – before being declared medically fit, new information shows.

The figure includes 140 pensioners over the age of 65.

Hospital staff were forced to notify the police where there was serious concern for a patient’s welfare in a number of cases.

Dr David Walker, clinical director at the trust that runs the Dalton Lane site, said there were a variety of reasons for people opting to leave hospital before they were ready.


Dr David Walker He said: “The reasons for self-discharges are individual to each patient and can include reasons such as not wanting to wait for treatment, not wanting to follow the care plan put together by the doctors and nurses, or not wanting to wait for input from other providers, such as social care.

“Our clinicians do not want people to be in hospital longer than they need to and we would always advise that if a clinician feels a patient should remain in hospital, this advice should be followed.”

The numbers of people opting to self-discharge themselves from FGH were uncovered using the information laws. They show 300 people opted to ignore doctors’ advice during the 2012/13 year, of which 40 were elderly.

A further 293 went on to take the same course of action the following year, including 44 pensioners. Some 56 people over the age of 65 were among the 340 who opted to leave their hospital bed in 2014/15.

Dr Walker, the most senior clinician at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, added: “When patients do discharge themselves against medical advice, an assessment of the risk this poses to the patient is carried out.

“Depending on the outcome of that risk assessment, subsequent actions may include a social care, GP or police referral to ensure the patient is safe at home.”