Paralysed man begs for more hospital recovery time

Ross Leslie spent 10 months in intensive care

A man who has spent more than 500 days in hospital with a rare auto-immune condition says he is fearful about his recovery ahead of his discharge after his physiotherapy treatment was cut.

Ross Leslie, 62, from Northumberland, suddenly developed Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which sees the body's immune system attack the nerves, in May 2023.

He has been treated at hospital in Newcastle, but believes his progress has begun to reverse by his treatment being reduced, and that there is nowhere suitable to be discharged to.

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust (CNTW) said it could not comment on individual cases.

The retired air freight courier, from Bedlington, was previously fit and healthy and had played an 18-hole golf round the day before the rare condition struck.

"I became paralysed from the feet up to the waist instantly, in the space of five or 10 minutes," he said.

His paralysis was so bad that initially he could communicate only by blinking.

Mr Leslie spent 10 months in intensive care and was then admitted to Newcastle’s Walkergate Park, a specialist NHS neurological rehabilitation centre.

"I had extensive hydropool therapy and smaller half-hour sessions with physios. For the first six months I was making big, big inroads. Muscles and joints were getting stronger and moving," he said.

Ross and his wife Janet, who has visited him in hospital every day

His treatment programme was extended to 16 September but he was still unable to stand unsupported.

Doctors said Mr Leslie would no longer receive the full physio treatment programme, and he believes his condition has worsened.

"My joints and muscles are getting a lot tighter, weaker," he said. "I'm taking more painkillers."

He now faces being discharged to either his own home or a care home, neither of which he feels would be suitable for his needs.

'Enormous pressure'

GBS is estimated to affect about one person in 100,000 each year and while the causes are unknown, patients often develop the condition after an infection.

According to the NHS, most people recover within a year, but treatment can require several months in hospital.

Mr Leslie has complained to the NHS Patient Advice and Liaison Service and management at CNTW.

The precise reasons for Mr Leslie’s discharge remain unclear and the BBC understands a complaints process is under way with CNTW.

Rich Collins, chief executive of GAIN, a charity which supports people with GBS, said: "We understand that there is enormous pressure across health and social care in terms of funding and resources, but a short-term saving on a health budget may lead to a longer-term social care cost."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Our 10-year health plan will transform the health service by shifting care out of hospitals into community, so all patients receive the care and support they require – we will ensure the NHS has the funding it needs to achieve, and we are committed to delivering the biggest expansion of NHS staff in history."