Man Evicted From Norfolk Hospital Bed

20 January 2017, 11:02 | Updated: 20 January 2017, 11:05

The James Paget Hospital in Gorleston

A man has been evicted from his bed at the James Paget University Hospital.

A man has been evicted from his bed at the James Paget University Hospital after he "unnecessarily" refused to leave for more than two years.

In August 2014 the patient arrived at the hospital in Gorleston and stayed there until this year.

The hospital said it launched legal action against the man, who has not been named due to patient confidentiality, as a last resort.

Director of Governance Anna Hills said:

"The gentleman had been occupying a bed unnecessarily at the James Paget University Hospital for more than two years - and every effort had been made to try to remedy this situation.

He repeatedly refused all offers of appropriate accommodation organised by our local authority and social care partners, despite being fit for discharge.

As a last resort, the Trust had to apply to the court to allow us to remove the gentleman from the hospital.

The decision to go to court was not taken lightly but our priority has to be considering the needs of all our patients and ensuring that our limited resources, which are under increasing pressure, are available to those who genuinely need hospital care.

We have worked with our partners in this case to ensure the gentleman continues to receive the appropriate level of care and support in the community, having left hospital."