Grandmother claims security assaulted her at Addenbrookes

Elaine Currey, who was being treated for suspected pneumonia, said she was “brutally” restrained by two security offers when trying to visit the concourse to purchase food.

She reported the incident to the police who carried out an investigation but have since closed the case.

However, Cambridge University Hospitals said that an investigation into the incident has been launched. 

Mrs Currey, 72, was admitted to hospital on March 27 with suspected pneumonia following surgery to treat lung cancer.

She was previously treated at Addenbrooke's for cancer in 2020 and is still undergoing chemotherapy.

Mrs Currey reported the incident to a nurse and discharged herself as a result of the trauma she experienced. (Image: Elaine Currey)

The grandmother of two, who lives with her son in Essex, said: “I had lung surgery on March 8, which was successful but unbeknown to me, I’d started to develop pneumonia and was admitted to Addenbrookes.

“I was put on a trolley and put on intravenous antibiotics before I was left in a mixed ward, but there hadn’t been no attempt to move me, and I was feeling claustrophobic.

“I was starting to feel a little better and decided to take a walk to the M&S to get something to eat and drink.

“However, when I tried to leave the ward, I was grabbed by two security guards who put me in an arm lock and marched me back to the ward.”

She added: “It was brutal, I still had a canular in and they were making the bruising on my arm and the wound from my lung operation worse.”

Mrs Currey reported the incident to the ward nurse and discharged herself as a result of the trauma she'd endured. 

Mrs Currey says the arm lock has exacerbated injuries previously sustained. (Image: Elaine Currey)

She said: “I couldn’t believe what was happening, I felt like a prisoner because everything I said was being ignored.

“Even when I told the guards that they were hurting me, they didn’t respond.

"I knew that I had to leave the hospital, so the nurses arranged for a taxi to collect me.”

In correspondence seen by Newsquest, Cambridgeshire Constabulary told the 72-year-old that “confusion around patients” can lead to “incidents like this.”

According to an officer investigating the incident, hospital staff were uncertain about whether Mrs Currey “had capacity”.

A spokesperson for Cambridge University Hospitals said: “While patient confidentiality means we cannot comment on individual cases, the Trust takes seriously any allegation of this nature.

“As a consequence, it is currently being investigated through our formal complaint processes, the results of which will be shared with the patient by our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).”

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Constabulary added: “The incident was reported on 27 March and an investigation began immediately.  

“The investigation was completed on April 9; it has been filed pending any further evidence coming to light.

“The investigation found that the alleged suspects had an honestly held belief that the woman did not have capacity and were therefore using their legal powers, this means no crimes were committed.”