‘My mum’s jewellery was stolen after she died at Warwick Hospital’
A WELLESBOURNE man says he “won’t be fobbed-off” after his mother’s jewellery was stolen from hospital the day she died.
Alan Grantham’s 88-year-old mum Winifred was admitted to Warwick Hospital just before Christmas and later died on the ward. Her personal belongings – including a diamond engagement ring, gold wedding band, watch, purse, house keys, bank cards, cheque book and coat – all went missing.
At first, Alan was told by hospital staff that Winifred’s ‘daughter’ had collected her personal effects the day she died. But Alan is an only child. He was then told the jewellery, banking and other items had been “discarded” by mistake.
Alan, who worked in retail for many years, described how his mother was admitted to the same hospital weeks earlier with stomach pains that were later discovered were due to a double-blocked bowel. That previous time, when his mother left her purse with about £200 in cash on the ward, staff put it in the safe and Alan was asked to sign a document, witnessed by another member of staff, when he collected it later.
Sadly, when Alan’s mother was taken back into hospital for the final time, it became clear she did not have long to live as she was too weak to survive an operation and given end-of-life care.
Alan and wife Jane were called in, after his mother died. He explained: “I remember seeing a handbag on the side with a coat but I was too upset to think about taking it. It was the last thing on my mind but I know it was there the day she died.
“When they rang us that morning to say, ‘Can you come in, we need to speak to you’, we figured she had probably gone. We knew it was imminent, and she only had two or three days but even so, it was a shock.”
Since then, while investigating what became of his mother’s belongings, he’s been “passed from pillar to post” including being directed to the hospital’s lost property department, the patient advice and liaison service (PALS) and the NHS trust’s patient experience team, who he said ignored several phone call and email requests to contact him.In January, he reported the theft to Warwickshire Police but there was no CCTV, witnesses or forensic evidence.
Although the nurse in charge of the ward apologised at the time, he has had no explanation or apology from the hospital or trust and is still waiting to hear back from the general manager.
Alan, who is also supporting Jane after she was diagnosed two months ago with breast cancer for the third time and had a major operation a fortnight ago, said he felt angry about how he has been treated. He said: “My mum wanted my eldest daughter Laura to inherit her rings but obviously that’s not going to happen now.”
He added: “This woman they said collected the handbag…they haven’t been able to show a form signed and witnessed and countersigned by members of staff and that’s my whole query. The bottom line is, someone has lost or stolen a dead person’s belongings which is probably the lowest thing anyone could do.”
A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said: “Enquiries have been carried out, how-ever the investigation has now been filed pending further evidence coming to light.”
A spokesperson for South Warwickshire Foundation NHS Trust said: “We take our responsibility for handling patient property very seriously. Patients are advised on admission that we can only safeguard belongings if they are formally handed over. Any uncollected non-valuable items are disposed of in line with infection prevention guidelines. We understand how important it is to keep families informed and are reviewing our processes to ensure this happens wherever possible. Our Patient Experience Team has investigated the concerns raised, and we will share the findings with the family. We sincerely apologise for any distress caused and remain committed to learning from concerns raised to our trust.”
