Jessie, a 35-year-old woman, spent 550 days in Northampton General Hospital after being medically fit to leave but required a suitable place to go to. Amongst boxes and bags sits her collection of dolls which she holds to stay calm. The BBC has followed her story as the NHS trust took expensive High Court action to have her evicted from her bed. After being arrested, she was moved to a care home where she says she feels anxious.
The case demonstrates the intense difficulties a care system faces when dealing with complex cases and shows how it can impact the NHS, with the patient being lost in the situation. North Northamptonshire Council, responsible for Jessie’s housing and care, declined to comment on her situation due to the ongoing police investigation into her behaviour. The Department of Health and Social Care commented that this is an example of how a deficient NHS discharge system is failing vulnerable individuals.
According to official figures, near the start of 2025, 13,000 hospital beds in England out of over 100,000 were occupied by people who had no medical need to be there. Delayed waits were observed due to the lack of social care available in patients’ homes or a lack of place at the care or rehabilitation units. The government is offering an additional £26bn to shift the centre of care from hospitals and tackle delays by enhancing the movement between the NHS and the social care community.
Only a single care place was offered to Jessie by the council after investigating about 120 care places. Her refusal to the only place offered resulted in a wait of almost a year until the council found another place. Under the 2014 Care Act, Jessie has the right to express where she desires to live. The advocacy group appointed by the council closed her case when she failed to respond to further contact after requesting a new advocate.
Jessie did receive mental health support while she was in the hospital bed, but she believed that no one was listening to her. The hospital trust stated that it had accounted for Jessie’s vulnerabilities throughout and the care package provided by the council was significant. Jessie attended her final court hearing remotely and had to leave within minutes. The judge later ruled that Jessie had to leave the hospital, but he hoped the move would go smoothly. After the final hearing, Jessie was arrested, and police are investigating her for several alleged offences
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