A Winnipeg man and his family are speaking out after what they’re calling neglect by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA).
Ken Lawrence Molloy has been battling pain for a decade, but his latest injury has left him questioning why he was sent home earlier than he was ready.
At the end of April, Molloy fell and fractured his hip. Molloy’s sister, Lora Lynne Molloy, told Global News that there was a tentative discharge date of Wednesday July 26, if her brother felt ready.
However, Molloy was discharged a day earlier and said he was given very short notice and no option to stay in hospital, even though he didn’t feel ready or safe to leave.
“They said I was ready to leave, that’s all they said,” Ken Lawrence Molloy said.
He said he asked for someone to help him and to not make him leave the hospital.
His ‘proctor’ was called to pick him up and take him home. The WRHA describes a proctor as a mental health worker who may or may not provide support for a patient during their discharge.
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“I was left. Left at the door,” Molloy said.
READ MORE: WRHA discharge policy goes under microscope
Since his discharge date changed without warning, he ended up being dropped off at home by his proctor and then locked out of his apartment in the scorching heat. His sister had his keys and had no idea her brother had been released.
“I felt barbecued. I was sweating already and I just felt like a piece of meat being tossed aside.”
On that day, at the time Ken was sitting outside the temperature, mixed with humidity, sat at 31 C.
Ken’s sister, Lora Lynne, had his keys and she was at work. She believes she should been notified by the hospital, noting her brother was in what she described as a ‘morphine haze’ and didn’t have the mental capabilities of informing her.
In the end Molloy ended up waiting outside for about an hour before the caretaker let him in.
The family is speaking up about what happened because they don’t want to see this happen to another family.
“You don’t do that to somebody, especially when they’re vulnerable,” Lynne said. “That’s cruel.”
In a statement to Global News, the WRHA said:
“Any patient admitted to hospital would be involved in the plan for their discharge home and would be encouraged to involve family in the planning process as well. “
The WRHA changed their discharge policy in 2014 after two men died on their doorsteps after they were sent home from hospital by a taxi.
READ MORE: Two men die outside after being sent home from hospital in taxis
Lora Lynne said the proctor bringing him home and having to get to her next appointment felt similar to a taxi dropping her brother outside. Now both are asking for answers from the WRHA.
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