Winchester woman, 96, has £3,000 of jewellery vanish at hospital

Rita (right, pictured with daughter Mary and grand daughters Shella and Kelly-Anne) lost her jewellery in hospital

The family of a 96-year-old woman who had £3,000 of jewellery disappear at a hospital say not enough is being done to find out what happened.

They say two gold chains belonging to Rita Zollo, from Winchester, went missing when she was admitted to Royal Hampshire County Hospital after a fall.

Grand daughter Kelly-Anne Smith said the experience was "distressing" for the family.

The hospital trust said it had "rigorously investigated" the incident.

Ms Zollo was pictured wearing her two 18-carat Italian gold chains in the hospital in July, but the family believe a member of staff removed them around about the time she had a chest x-ray.

They have not been seen since.

Ms Zollo was pictured in hospital wearing the chains before they vanished

Mary Smith, Ms Zollo's daughter, thinks the jewellery was stolen.

She told the BBC: "My mum was in no fit state to have removed it herself. She was virtually unconscious."

She added: "The police aren't interested. They say because there are no witnesses, no CCTV, and no suspects, they can't investigate it, which is a bit of a cop out.

"I think they have just swept it under the carpet. It's in the 'too difficult' box, they can't be bothered."

She said she also made enquiries to the hospital about who had access to her mother, who is now in a nursing home, during the time the jewellery went missing but had not received an adequate answer.

Kelly-Anne said: "What is so very troubling about this is while a vulnerable 96-year-old lady was desperately unwell and in the care of Hampshire Hospitals, someone took her jewellery."

'Such incidents are rare'

A spokesperson for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are very sorry for the loss of Mrs Zollo's jewellery.

"Incidents such as this are rare but are always taken extremely seriously and each case is rigorously investigated.

"We understand the value - emotional and material - of these items and are very sorry for the upset the loss has caused. As part of our investigation we have been in communication with the family."

Hampshire Constabulary said: "The investigation has been filed pending any further information coming to light."