ANOTHER patient has come forward after being attacked by a fellow patient in her hospital bed at Musgrove Hospital, Taunton.

Eidsy Pearson, 84, from Taunton, says the incident happened back in September during the middle of the night.

Last week, the County Gazette reported how 94-year-old Violet Coates sustained facial injuries after being attacked by a male patient.

Eidsy says she wasn’t left too hurt by the attack on Wordsworth Ward but the shock left her unable to sleep.

She added: “The lady in the bed next to me came over and hit me in the middle of the night, I was unable to move my arms and legs so I screamed, she was very strong.

“Someone stayed with me for the next hour and someone was supposed to come and see me the next day but they didn’t.

“The woman had been acting very aggressive since she was admitted on to the ward, it’s not her fault but patients with dementia or similar problems should be on a different ward with nurses who are trained to deal with them.”

Jo Cubbon, chief executive of Musgrove Park Hospital, said: “We are very sorry that this patient had the experience they did at our hospital.

“We are aware of the matter and have carried out a full and thorough complaint investigation, fed back our findings to the patient and have taken actions from the learning.

"Each year around 50,000 people are admitted to this hospital as emergency or elective patients, and increasing numbers of these patients are frail and elderly and many are also confused.

"These patients, when cared for in unfamiliar surroundings, can become disorientated and anxious and behave in an unpredictable way.

“All of our staff work tirelessly to ensure that we keep our patients safe from harm and incidents such as these are rare at Musgrove Park Hospital.”

"Anyone with feedback or concerns about the care they, or their family have received are encouraged to contact Musgrove Park Hospital on 01823 343536, email pals@tst.nhs.uk, visit the PALS team at the hospital or write to the PALS team.”