Hospital ‘lost my dad’ claim after IT mix-up

Mirfield councillor Martyn Bolt said medics did not track his dad down for more than 20 hours after he was taken to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

George Bolt was taken by ambulance to the hospital at 8am on Monday for treatment for an enlarged artery.

When Coun Bolt rang that afternoon, he was told there was no record of his dad, of Church Road, Roberttown.

He said: “The person I spoke to said, ‘he’s not on our system’.”

Coun Bolt said it was not until 10.40am the next morning that he found out his dad was on Gate 37 at Pinderfields, leaving him unable to visit.

He said: “I have lodged a formal complaint and asked for the matter to be investigated. I have also asked that measures are put in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust said Coun Bolt was told of his dad’s whereabouts within an hour of calling the hospital at 3pm on Monday.

But Coun Bolt said he was told his dad was not on the list. He said: “If I had known where he was at 4pm on Monday, I would have been there sitting by his bedside.”

Stephen Eames, Mid Yorkshire’s interim chief executive, said he had apologised personally for any anxiety caused.

He said: “There was an IT issue on the ward concerned which meant that it did not show where Coun Bolt’s father was straight away. We are taking action to ensure the issue is resolved as swiftly as possible.”