Relatives of abandoned man found

The pensioner was found by staff at Oldchurch Hospital

The family of an 82-year-old Alzheimer's sufferer abandoned at a hospital have come forward.

The man was left at Oldchurch Hospital in Romford, Essex, last week with a note from his wife saying they could no longer cope with looking after him.

His family contacted Havering Council, whose social services department has been looking after him, from Spain.

He and his wife are thought to have been living in the Alicante area for the past two years.

His family had returned there after leaving the pensioner in the hospital's A&E department with the note signed by his wife.

They should have gone to the local council or their GP and asked for support Stephen Ladyman, health minister

This described in distressing detail how the strain of looking after her sick husband had driven her close to breaking point.

"We cannot cope any more and we just want him to get good care," she said. "We just cannot cope any longer."

She added: "A doctor has prescribed me tranquillisers as I am on the verge of a total breakdown. Please look after him. He needs special care and attention.

The man's birth certificate was also left at the casualty department reception desk, along with detailed instructions about his illness.

'Desperate'

Havering Council has not confirmed whether it was the man's wife and her daughter who left him at the hospital.

A spokesman said the council was talking to the family.

Earlier, officials appealed for relatives to come forward so they could discuss arrangements for his future care.

Health minister Stephen Ladyman has voiced his concern about the case.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he preferred to believe those involved were desperate rather than cruel.

"They should have gone to the local council or their GP and asked for support, and that support should have been there for them," he said.

"And I am sorry if any family has got to the position where they have taken that sort of step, and have not been able to access care and support."

The minister said the government was working hard to provide local authorities with the funds needed to support carers.

Charity Mencap condemned the case as a "shocking example of how society is failing to care for the most vulnerable people".

"Many of the UK's six million carers, caring for elderly relatives, sick or disabled people, often experience feelings of isolation and hopelessness," chief executive Jo Williams said.