The High Court of the Canary Islands has ruled against the Canary Islands Health Service, ordering it to pay €60,000 to the family of a man who was left vulnerable after being discharged from the hospital without accompaniment. The incident took place at Insular Hospital on Gran Canaria, where a 61-year-old patient suffering from disorientation was allowed to go home at night without informing his relatives.
According to case materials, the man was admitted to the hospital on September 27, 2022. His family had previously notified the medical staff of the need to inform them about his discharge, since the patient was registered with status A.A., requiring mandatory accompaniment and special attention. Nevertheless, six hours after his admission, a doctor decided to discharge him without notifying the family.
Surveillance cameras recorded the patient trying to re-enter the hospital, but he was denied access. As a result, the man was left outside and remained missing from 10:30 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. Unable to reach him, his relatives contacted the police and the Guardia Civil. The patient was found only six hours later, in a state of complete disorientation.
Initially, the government’s legal services and a lower court denied compensation, citing a lack of a formal complaint and insufficient details in the appeal. However, the higher court recognized that the claimants lacked legal expertise and deemed their submission sufficient for review.
The court noted that the patient’s possession of an A.A. card indicates his particular vulnerability and the need for continuous supervision, especially when visiting the emergency department. Failure to meet these requirements led to significant emotional distress for both the family and the patient himself.
The court’s decision emphasized that the hospital’s actions were deemed improper and that the discharge process was extremely careless. The judicial panel considered it necessary to overturn the initial denial of compensation and ordered the Health Service to pay the victim’s family 60,000 euros.
This case once again raises the issue of strictly following protocols when working with vulnerable patients and the importance of keeping relatives informed about any changes in the patients’ condition or status.
