The fallout for Fraser Health continues over the decision by Delta Hospital staff last week to discharge a legally blind elderly woman from the ER in the middle of the night.
The good news surrounding the opening of an expanded ER at Surrey Memorial Hospital hit a sour note Tuesday when health region CAO Dr. Nigel Murray and Premier Christy Clark faced questions from the media about the treatment of 90-year-old Vivian Fitzpatrick, a case that made national headlines.
On Tuesday, Murray said there are no official patient discharge protocols and that the authority relies on staff expertise.
He followed up on Wednesday by issuing a statement, saying doctors and nurses use their professional judgment to determine when it is most appropriate to admit or discharge patients.
"Hospital emergency departments are busy and potentially dangerous places, particularly for the frail or elderly, who are at greater risk of falls or infection. It is especially critical for the health of these patients that we discharge them home to their families, or caregivers, as soon as they are medically cleared to do so. When the decision is made to discharge a patient, this process is taken very seriously, and appropriate plans are made to support each person's individual needs."
Noting he personally reviewed the case, Murray said appropriate clinical decisions were made, however, he also recognized "the care experience was not a positive one" for Fitzpatrick.
He said the issue serves as a reminder of the importance of clear communication between health care providers, patients, families and caregivers.
In response, Paddy Munro, Fitzpatrick's daughter, told the Optimist it's clear the health region wants to dismiss the incident rather than admit a blunder was made and review practices.
"Appropriate plans are made? There are no plans. I am the contact person and if they had contacted me, I don't think we would have had as much of a story here.
Yes, my mother was bleeding, but if I would have picked her up, it would have made a world of difference.
"All they told the caregiver was to be waiting and have the money (for the cab fare). She said, 'But she has no shoes or no jacket.' They told her it was not the end of the world... For him (Murray) to say he personally reviewed it and appropriate clinical decisions were made, no, they were not."
Munro wondered how Murray could say they act in patients' best interests when her mother was shivering while sent away in the dark of night terrified.
Health Minister Terry Lake said a video shows Fitzpatrick was not alone when she was placed in the taxi, but her daughter, who is demanding to see the video, maintains her mother waited alone for 15 minutes.
A Tsawwassen man who was at the hospital at the time of the incident contacted the Optimist to back Munro's claim. Noting the ER seemed almost empty at the time, he wondered why the woman couldn't wait in a bed until morning.
He said the situation appeared "glaringly inappropriate" as Fitzpatrick was waiting for a cab at such an odd hour, wearing little more than a sheet and slippers.
