A UK High Court judge has ruled a woman can be discharged from the hospital bed she has occupied for more than a year to relieve pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report in The Guardian, Justice Chamberlain ordered that the patient, known only as MB, must leave her ward at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The woman, who has mental health difficulties, is the sole occupant of a side room, where she is looked after by a 24-hour registered mental health nurse.
In his ruling last week, Justice Chamberlain said the hospital stated that the need was “urgent because the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the bedroom is urgently needed for other patients” and because “it is contrary to MB’s interests to remain in the hospital, where she is at increased risk of contracting COVID-19”. Discussions relating to her care have been ongoing for more than a year.
The hospital says the woman has been fit for discharge to specially adapted local authority accommodation, with a care package, since May 2019. It has twice tried to discharge her, but she has refused to co-operate.
She has a diagnosis of a functional neurological disorder and psychological conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, and a possible borderline personality disorder and Asperger’s syndrome.
In his ruling, the judge said that although it was distressing for the woman, it was safe for her to be discharged into specially adapted accommodation, with 24-hour care provided seven days a week.
[link url="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/10/judge-orders-mental-health-patient-to-vacate-bed-for-covid-19-cases"]Full report in The Guardian[/link]