A BOROUGH-based health watchdog says vulnerable patients are still being discharged from Basildon Hospital and others in the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust group without the right support in place, despite ongoing efforts to improve the process.

Last year Thurrock Healthwatch reported a growing number of "failed" or unsafe discharges from Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals had left some patients without care, medication or follow‑up instructions.

In an update to Thurrock Council's adult and health services overview and scrutiny committee, Healthwatch Thurrock's chief operating officer Kim James said the same issues continued to surface.

Ms James told councillors that Healthwatch was often forced to intervene because hospitals, GP practices and community teams were unaware a patient had been sent home.

She said: "Sometimes community services aren't even aware that the patient is home, or the GP doesn't know.

"We get family members who are really concerned that their mother has suddenly arrived home when they live miles away and didn't know she was due home. Care agencies often haven't been alerted, so they don't pick up the care package."

One resident reported that his 91‑year‑old mother, who has dementia, was discharged without the family being told.

She wandered outside after returning home, and a neighbour had to raise the alarm, it was claimed.

"She didn't even know she was home and thought she was still in hospital," Ms James said.

Other residents said they had been sent home with dressings or medical supplies but no explanation on how to use them.

Ms James said patients were also calling GP surgeries for dressing changes, only to find no appointments available for up to three weeks.

Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust chief executive Dawn Scrafield said even isolated cases were unacceptable. "Just having one patient in that situation is not right," she said.

However, Basildon Hospital's managing director, Cherry West, got on the front foot and said things were improved - thanks to 'fantastic work' and improvements were underway, including successful winter initiatives to speed up safe discharges and reduce bed occupancy.

Defending the hospital: "The fantastic work that's been going on around the Integrated Care Transfer Hub, it's just been phenomenal.

"And if we compare the number of patients that are now delayed and waiting discharge compared to last year, the numbers have come down significantly.

"I looked at the data this morning and they were actually zero discharge delays for Thurrock residents.

"So, there is a fantastic joint work that's going on with Thurrock and us as a hospital, I think there's always more for us to learn and always more for us to do."

Senior exectives with the hospitals trust receive six figure salaries. The last time the Basildon MD post was advertised, the salary was 'between £100,000 and £200,000.

Last year regional MP and former minister Mark Francois slammed the failing Trust's recruitment policy and salaries.

The MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, told the Commons: "The Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust are now trying to appoint three permanent managing directors to each hospital to provide stability, which makes sense, but they're offering a salary of £200,000 for each post, which is more than the Prime Minister earns to run the country.

"We should pay a good rate for that job, but £200,000 sends all the wrong signals to all the other very hardworking people in the trust."

Health minister Wes Streeting said: ""What we need is better management and a sharp eye on value for money. The NHS would not work without good leadership, we've got to make sure we've got the right people in the right place and delivering against the public's expectation."

Last week Thurrock MP Jen Craft and Thurrock Council adult health services portfolio holder Cllr Mark Hooper published a joint letter to the NHS, calling for direct intervention at local hospitals, suggesting the Mid and South Essex Trust and its management were continuing to fail.

In contrast to Ms West's upbeat response to questions, they said: "The trust's delivery of healthcare has become trapped in a cycle of poor performance that spans decades. While other organisations have seen improvement and recovery under this government, hospital-based services for Thurrock residents have continued to decline."

That echoed a similar call from South Basildon and East Thurrock MP James McMurdock, who also said it was time for effective management change at Basildon Hospital.