Months in hospital leaves sepsis patient struggling

Mark Hayes said his basement flat in Hastings no longer met his needs

A sepsis patient has said the months he spent in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge has left him struggling.

Mark Hayes said his basement flat in Hastings, East Sussex, no longer met his needs after emergency surgery in January left him using a wheelchair.

The 61-year-old said that a lack of suitable accommodation had forced him to stay at Eastbourne District General Hospital for longer than he needed.

Hastings Borough Council said it had apologised, and that a permanent home would be available for Mr Hayes soon.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said Mr Hayes' ongoing health problems meant it was better to treat him in hospital rather than in a community setting but admitted the patient had been "consistently ready for discharge since 30 July".

'I'm fried'

Mr Hayes said he had been offered a single room in a dementia home in St Leonards at the end of March.

"The problem with that is my mum passed four months previous with dementia, so that was still very, very raw," he said.

Mr Hayes, who receives personal independence payment (PIP) and universal credit due to his disabilities and poor health, said he was also offered a flat at The Orangery near Bexhill, an extra care housing scheme for those over 55 with 24-hour support. But he said the residents were much older than him.

A second floor flat in Maidstone was also an option but too far from his support network and unsafe for wheelchairs, he added.

"I'm on the second floor, in a wheelchair. If there's a fire going on, I'm fried," he said.

'Increasing financial pressures'

Hastings Borough Council said it would continue to work with Mr Hayes, the hospital and its providers to find a suitable temporary property until the longer-term home was available.

It added that there was also a lack of suitable wheelchair accessible properties in the Hastings area, and that fewer than 2% of its temporary accommodation placements were outside of Hastings.

Mr Hayes said he had been housebound since 2022 and underwent amputation surgery on his right foot in 2024, including the removal of two toes.

He said he needed supported living in the form of a ground floor flat with secure storage for a wheelchair and visits from carers, and was speaking out as a warning to other more vulnerable patients who may be in a similar predicament.

The NHS in Sussex said there were 484 patients in beds who no longer needed medical treatment, down from 760 in December.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) said a severe shortage of supported homes and suitable housing was putting a "huge strain on the NHS and other public services".

Sarah Finnegan, the NHF's head of policy, added: "Recent NHF research found that one in five support homes are at risk of closure due to funding cuts and increasing financial pressures.

"Ahead of the Autumn Budget, we're calling on the government to save this vital provision by providing emergency funding so that supported housing providers can continue to deliver the homes and support people need."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

The government previously said that it was putting £2bn into increasing social and affordable housebuilding in 2026-27.