As ‘last resort’ hospital takes legal action to evict bed blocker after two years

A man has been evicted from his hospital bed by court order after he “unnecessarily” refused to leave for more than two years, it has been reported.

The patient arrived at the James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk in August 2014 and remained there until this year despite being deemed “fit for discharge”, according to the BBC.

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

A court of possession granted the order on December 1 and he was removed on January 10 and placed in accommodation in the community.

Anna Hills, the hospital’s director of governance, told the BBC: “The gentleman 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.”

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