A FRAIL 92-year-old woman diagnosed with dementia was discharged from hospital in a flimsy nightgown and left stranded in the pouring rain.

Elayne Moore-Clacy, from Kirkby Lonsdale, was found 'freezing' and 'distressed' by her shocked husband after he claimed staff at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary failed to dress her in her own warm clothes before putting her in a taxi home.

The incident has forced the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to 'sincerely apologise' for the 'distress' it has caused.

When the taxi arrived outside the couple's Thirmby Court property, Mrs Moore-Clacy struggled to get out of the cab in 'terrible' weather conditions.

Her 90-year-old husband, Gresham, was forced to put her in a wheelchair and attempted to carry her up two steps to get into their home. He was under doctors' orders not to do any lifting as he has undergone an operation to have his arteries replaced.

Mrs Moore-Clacy is now back in hospital with a cold and bad chest and is 'really going downhill', according to Mr Clacy.

Her ordeal has prompted calls for an 'urgent review' of discharge procedures for patients from Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron. It has also left Mr Clacy wondering why his wife was not treated with 'more respect'.

"It's disgusting," said Mr Clacy. "She was freezing when she got here.

"She had a coat with her and they didn't put it on her, she just had a flimsy nightgown and her knickers on in the cold."

Mrs Moore-Clacy, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, requires carers to attend her home every day.

She was taken to RLI by ambulance after developing a bladder infection on Boxing Day.

After spending hours in the A&E department, hospital staff placed Mrs Moore-Clacy's warm clothes in a plastic bag and put her in a taxi.

Taxi drivers are forbidden from engaging in physical contact with their passengers and are unable to offer assistance on arrival home.

"The taxi driver appeared at my door saying she was not supposed to help my wife," said Mr Clacy.

"It was raining, dark and very dangerous and our wheelchair ramp was broken during the recent storm.

"I had to carry her up one wheel at a time and poor Elayne was getting tossed around from side to side - she was very distressed."

Mr Clacy, an internationally-renowned vulcanologist who has worked for the United Nations, said he cannot understand why hospital staff did not wait until an ambulance was available to take his wife of 14 years home.

He is calling for lessons to be learnt so nobody has to go through an incident like this again.

Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron said it was 'a fundamental failure of the duty of care' and claimed that it was 'sadly not an isolated incident'.

He stated: "The RLI must urgently review its procedures for discharging patients to ensure they are provided with the care and support necessary once they leave the hospital itself.

"While I understand the pressures on beds which the NHS faces, it is extremely counter-productive to provide patients with excellent care inside the hospital, and then to abandon them the moment they are discharged.

"Elderly and vulnerable patients must be looked after and provided with the support they need."

Pam Lewis, Age UK's Relations and New Services Development Manager, said it is vital that elderly patients are treated with 'compassion' and by staff who understand their specific needs.

She said Age UK's Kendal-based team can help to provide aftercare for people like Mrs Moore-Clacy, if they are contacted by the hospital.

Sue Smith, Executive Chief Nurse at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: "On behalf of the Trust, I’d like to sincerely apologise to Mrs Moore-Clacy and her family for any distress we have caused.

"At this point in time I am unaware of any complaint that has been received directly by the Trust. It is very important that we review Mrs Moore-Clacy’s experience and ensure that we learn from what happened.

"If Mrs Moore-Clacy would like to contact us directly, we would be happy to investigate the matter and provide feedback directly to her on our findings and any actions we take to learn from this.

"Once again I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Mrs Moore-Clacy and her family."

In 2013, The Westmorland Gazette reported how staff from Cumberland Infirmary's A&E department in Carlisle sent 76-year-old Sylvia Dawson, a vulnerable pensioner from Appleby who had been diagnosed with dementia, home in a taxi wearing only a flimsy hospital gown.