A SHOCK survey has revealed that one in seven patients believe they are discharged from hospital too early.

The finding was today being discussed by senior managers at Queen's Park Hospital and Blackburn Royal Infirmary who said they were taking the statistic "very seriously."

Health watchdogs who carried out the investigation have expressed concern that 15 per cent of patients felt they were not well enough to go home.

But overall they said the results of the discharge survey had been "fairly positive."

Hospital bosses at the Blackburn NHS Trust are drawing up an action plan to counter problems thrown up by the investigation.

The comments include the relative of an 83-year-old man who felt he should have stayed in hospital overnight following cataract surgery.

Another woman discharged from a gynaecological ward said: "All they want is to get you treated and leave hospital as soon as you can, whether or not you are well.

"When you do come back home and you go ill again or maybe worse within the next few days you can't ring the hospital yourself and tell them. "They don't want to know you. So you have to go through your GP again."

Another patient said: "During my stay I received marvellous treatment. My warm thanks go out to the consultant and staff for all they did for me.

"The staff were wonderful in every way and nothing was too much trouble for them. The nurse and helpers are angels and deserve all the money they get."

Nigel Robinson, chief officer of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Community Health Council, said: "We are concerned about the 15 per cent figure but we will have to do more work to find out what the reasons are behind it."

He said a possible reason for people feeling they had been discharged too early was the lack of "convalescent beds" in Blackburn where patients, particularly the elderly, could go for a few days after they left hospital.

Richard Gildert, director of nursing and quality for the Blackburn NHS Trust, said: "We are taking the survey very seriously and we do accept that 15 per cent is a high figure.

"We will look at it in detail and follow up some of the comments made."

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