Terminally ill man discharged without care package, wife says

Ray and Shelley Bass were told to ask their neighbours if they knew any carers who could help them after his terminal cancer diagnosis

The wife of a terminally ill man has said he was discharged from a Belfast hospital without a care package in place.

Ray Bass, 67, has been told he has just a few weeks to live.

He was treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital, in the Belfast Trust area, but lives in the Western Health Trust area.

The Belfast Trust said it does not have control over how long it takes to secure care outside their area.

The Western Trust, which covers Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh, where Mr Bass lives, apologised for any distress caused.

A care package has now been put in place but Mr Bass' wife Shelley told BBC News NI that she expected one to be ready after he returned home from hospital on Monday.

"I'm reeling. I'm losing the man that I love and now I'm having to sort all these things out as well," said Mrs Bass.

"I shouldn't need to have to nurse my husband when I'm trying to get over the fact that I'm going to lose him in a couple of weeks."

Staff 'working extremely hard'

The Belfast Trust said that if a patient lives outside its area and a care package is needed then "a referral is then made to their trust area".

The statement continued: "We do not have control over the length of time it may take to secure services outside of our trust area and we regularly liaise with other trusts regarding progress of a patient's care package."

It added that the Belfast Trust will "always endeavour to work with families to ensure appropriate care arrangements are in place before discharge, however, we respect the wishes of patients and their families".

The Western Trust said that discharge planning takes place in the trust in which the patient is being cared for but that when neighbouring trusts are involved, a care package referral is made and "discussions will take place on availability of care and ability to meet these within a certain timeframe".

"Hospital and community teams continue to work extremely hard under unprecedented pressures to ensure that patients and their families receive the most appropriate support and care in a timely manner," it said.

Shelley says her husband has been struggling to process everything and has been worrying about her

What happened after they left hospital?

Mr Bass first became ill in November 2023 with what his wife described as "a bad back".

After a series of hospital visits and blood tests, he was told he had terminal pancreatic cancer that had spread to his bones and fractured his spine.

He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast - but the couple was told he had just a few weeks to live and he came home on Monday.

Mrs Bass told BBC News NI that she was told a care package would be sorted, including carers four times a day.

A hospital bed was sent to their house in Ballinamallard but the care package did not materialise, said Mrs Bass, adding that district nurses and palliative care nurses who came to treat her husband told her they were not aware that a package had been put in place.

When they realised Mr Bass was immobile, she said they told her they were not sure if any care packages would be available in County Fermanagh.

"Even the doctor said they didn't think we could get someone four times a day. It didn't really help to be told that.

"They're lovely people. I don't want to make it out like they were not trying but I was left not knowing what was going on."

Shelley says her husband feels let down by the NHS

Mrs Bass said she was not shown how to use the equipment that had been delivered and was also told she would have to buy some equipment herself.

"To be told the NHS no longer provides you with bedpans, and have to go to Amazon to have one delivered - that's not right," she said.

Mrs Bass added that the cancer charity Macmillan advised her to take her husband to a hospice.

"Fermanagh is a long way from the nearest hospice and he doesn't want me not to be there," she added.

Mrs Bass then said she was told to ask her neighbours if they knew of any carers who could help.

After a post on social media, she received multiple offers of help. The care package has also now been put in place for Mr Bass.

However, his wife said he feels let down by the NHS.

"He's had to process this and also worry about me," she said.

"My back is now broken from trying to move him in the bed and he's in agony."

She added: "Individual people are trying their best to do things but the system is broken."