THE daughter of an elderly man who became stranded in York Hospital for seven months due to a lack of care home places has spoken of her grief at his death.

Michael Fitzsimmons, 81, from Clifton, had been in ward 37 at the hospital since last summer, even though he was ready to be discharged, as there was nowhere suitable for him to go.

The great-grandfather had dementia and complex needs and after being offered two places - one 45 miles away in Hornsea and another where his family had concerns about the care available - they said nothing else was offered.

His daughter Debra Edwards, 59, said she felt her father, who died on January 22, had been abandoned.

She said: "My dad had lived and worked here for 60 years. Why should he be shipped out far from people who love him?

"I can categorically state York let my father down by not providing the care he should have received in the community he lived. We need a care home for dementia patients with complex needs.

"Dementia patients are being let down simply because they are old and their relatives don't know where to turn."

When Mr Fitzsimmons, who was well known in York as the former doorman of the Rialto, was admitted to hospital with pneumonia, his care home said his condition meant they could not continue to look after him.

After making contact with the continuing healthcare team managed by Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Mrs Edwards said she struggled to get any further support.

The matter had been taken up by York Outer MP Julian Sturdy on behalf of the family.

Mr Sturdy said: “It was with deep sadness that I learned about Mr Fitzsimmons’ passing, particularly as he was unable to obtain the care he required in York outside of hospital.

“It is incredibly disappointing that despite being granted Continuing Healthcare funding, the Vale of York CCG, and prior to this the Council, were unable to secure an appropriate place for him in a care home close to his family.

“My thoughts today are with Mr Fitzsimmons and his family who have fought his corner so courageously despite being let down at many stages during his care.”

The problem of "bed blocking" in hospitals due to a lack of places for patients to go to is endemic in the NHS with the most recent statistics showing that in November alone, there were 1342 days of beds taken up by patients ready to be discharged at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Of these, 292 were due to the patient awaiting a nursing home place and 556 due to them awaiting a package of care in their own home.

James Player, the deputy chief officer of Age UK in York, said the system is dependent on private agencies which aim to take financially viable patients.

He said: "It's almost like a perfect storm.

"It's a balance between what we think our state should provide and also the business sector. The people who own and run private care homes will only do it if it's worth their while.

"That this is happening is an indication there's a serious fault in the system nationally. It's probably why a lot of hospitals are so clogged up."

A spokesperson for NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “We are sorry to hear about the passing of Mr Fitzsimmons.

“The CCG cannot comment on individual cases. However, the CCG can confirm that it works hard to meet needs as agreed with individual patients and their families.

“Unfortunately, on occasion, services are not always available as locally as patients and their families would prefer."