A 74-year-old woman was missing for almost six hours after walking out of a ward at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline sparking a major search and rescue operation involving the police, the fire service and a specialist dog rescue team.
It is understood the woman wandered from the ward at the hospital at 2am on Monday and was not found until 8am in the town’s Halbeath Road. It is believed she was suffering from hypothermia and was returned to Queen Margaret Hospital for treatment.
An investigation is being conducted by NHS Fife.
Fife Constabulary confirmed a major rescue operation had been mounted to find the woman. A spokesman said, “Fife Police were alerted around 2am to the report of a missing 74-year-old woman from a ward at the Queen Margaret Hospital.
“Working with partners in Fife Fire and Rescue and Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA), we commenced a search in and around the hospital. Around 8am, the woman was found on Halbeath Road, Dunfermline, and returned to the hospital.”
NHS Fife also confirmed that a patient had been reported missing from the hospital and that it is investigating the matter.
A spokeswoman said, “NHS Fife is unable to give any detailed response because of patient confidentiality. However, we can confirm a patient went missing around midnight. The individual was found some time later and is currently in hospital.”
She continued, “Staffing on the ward in question last night exceeded normal levels. There was no particular unusual pressure on A&E at Queen Margaret Hospital over the weekend.
“As is current practice, a small number of patient transfers from Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, to Queen Margaret Hospital did occur on Sunday. However, this did not place any undue pressure on A&E at the hospital.
“A full investigation is under way and will be shared in detail with the patient’s relatives.”