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Elderly patient at East Lothian hospital 'assaulted while on her ward'

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date17 December 2020
Police are investigating claims that the woman was attacked at East Lothian Community Hospital, Haddington, last month.

Health chiefs have refused to comment on the allegations, which are said to have left staff shocked and raised concerns about security on the wards.

The alleged incident happened less than a month after an elderly patient at the hospital was able to walk out of its front doors during a torrential rainstorm in just his pyjamas.

Staff insiders at the £70million state-of-the-art hospital, which opened its doors last year, say concerns about security and staffing levels at the hospital have been heightened by both incidents.

In the most recent incident, it is claimed that the elderly woman was attacked after a male patient with dementia was able to enter her ward.

Police Scotland confirmed it had been made aware of the allegations and was investigating.

A police spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a report has been received and enquiries are ongoing."

However, health chiefs remain tight-lipped about the incident.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, which oversees the hospital, said: "While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we take any alleged incident of this kind extremely seriously.

"Any case like this is dealt with under the Adult Support...

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