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‘Complete and utter mess’: Anger as state of garden at Banchory hospital is keeping dementia patients inside

The garden at Glen O'Dee is overgrown and "run-down", according to one family member of a patient.
The garden at Glen O'Dee is overgrown and "run-down", according to one family member of a patient.

Dementia patients are allegedly being “forgotten by the NHS” in an Aberdeenshire hospital where the garden is so overgrown they are stuck in the wards.

William Durno, an 86-year-old with dementia, was sectioned to Cornhill Hospital while his wife, May, was in hospital for an operation herself.

He was then, unknown to his wife, transferred to Glen O’Dee Hospital in Banchory.

When his wife returned home from her operation, she had no idea where her husband was.

The patio is unkept and the tables have been stacked together, suggesting the garden space is unused and not a relaxing environment. Supplied by Joe Durno.

Joe Durno, William’s cousin, later found out he had been moved to the hospital in Banchory within the last two weeks.

He visited his cousin at the hospital and was left reeling by the “awful” state of the place.

Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership has stressed it is making improvements to the garden area a “priority”.

‘Garden was a jungle’

Because it was a warm day, Mr Durno asked if he could take his cousin out to the garden and was initially told no. He asked again later and was given permission.

According to the 69-year-old, it then took staff 20 minutes to open a door.

He quickly realised the garden at Glen O’Dee had not been tended to for years.

Original hospital at Glen O'Dee
Original hospital at Glen O’Dee.

“I don’t think they wanted me to see the garden,” he said. “It was a jungle, it was just a mess.

“I’ve never seen such a run-down place in all my life.

“William’s got dementia, but when I took him out to the garden he was still like ‘mess, mess, mess.'”

He added: “It was a beautiful place once upon a time.”

‘Patients have been forgotten by the NHS’

The original building at the historic Deeside hotel was destroyed by a fire in 2016.

Mr Durno is concerned about the safety of the old building and believes it looks like it could collapse further.

He said the building the patients stay in now is a “complete and utter mess”, and was asked to take his cousin’s soiled laundry home to wash.

He also believes the patients are constantly kept inside because of the state of the garden.

One of the two gates is broken, and reportedly has been for years, while the garden is overgrown with nowhere nice for the patients to relax.

Weeds are growing out of the roof of the building and the garden is overgrown. Supplied by Joe Durno.

There are also “hundreds” of weeds growing on the roof of the building.

Mr Durno asked: “What’s two gardeners once a week, or even one once a week?

“If the garden was open this whole summer, 12 men would have been able to go about.

“They’re being left to rot. These patients have been forgotten by the NHS – they’re people, they’re human beings.

“The staff are doing their best, it’s not a reflection on them at all.”

He is even considering offering his own spare time and asking some friends to go help sort the garden so the Glen O’Dee patients can use it again.

Confusion about Glen O’Dee transfer

William’s wife previously looked after him at home but left her sister to care for him when she was in hospital for her own operation.

He took unwell while she was in the hospital and was then sectioned to Cornhill, unbeknown to her.

The couple live in Aberdeen and she was confused to return home and not know where her husband was.

Mr Durno has been led to understand there was no room in the dementia ward at Cornhill, and has said there was a lack of communication from the health service.

“To me, they just shoved him out to Glen O’Dee,” he added.

“I’m just not happy where he is – it’s just a dump.”

The family is planning to try to move William to residential care closer to home.

Garden space at Glen O’Dee being made ‘priority’

An Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership spokesman said: “The safety and wellbeing of all of our patients is of the utmost importance and we will be happy to discuss any concerns families may have.

“In terms of the Glen O’ Dee Hospital, access to the wards of the site is via a secure intercom system and while we do not have a laundry on site, discussions are always held with patients and family in regard to options for laundering of clothes in line with our national infection prevention and control measures.

The garden will be “brought up to a safe standard”. Supplied by Joe Durno.

“We fully recognise that outdoor space is beneficial in improving patients’ wellbeing and to manage patient stress and distress.

“We have referred to our estates team as a priority and are working with local community groups to ensure that our garden space is brought up to a safe standard which is therapeutic for patients and families.”

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