Fife Council knew a Tayport woman was stranded in Ninewells Hospital awaiting a care package several days before the authority had previously admitted.
Fife councillor Tim Brett has demanded an investigation into why Irene Fitchet, 77, was kept in hospital more than six weeks after she should have been discharged, as revealed by The Courier last week.
The Tay Bridgehead member said he is “deeply concerned” that the pensioner is still at Ninewells despite being told by doctors she was ready to go home on July 25.
The grandmother-of-six has been waiting in hospital for her care home package to be arranged by Fife Council.
Mrs Fitchet requires a carer to help her wash and dress after damaging nerves in her right arm, and needs her meals on wheels service to be resumed.
It is understood that she is due to finally be released from hospital today.
Fife Council says NHS Tayside only referred the case on August 21. However, Mr Brett said he informed Fife Council’s social work department the previous week he had heard of a woman in his ward waiting to be discharged from Ninewells.
Acting independently, Tay Bridgehead councillor Margaret Taylor also contacted the council’s social work department on August 16, after a plea for help from the pensioner’s sister in law.
Mr Brett, a former chief executive of Tayside Health Board, said: “I don’t know how that ties in with Fife Council saying they weren’t informed about Mrs Fitchet until the following week.”
He added that after reading The Courier’s report on Friday, he has asked a number of questions of the local authority’s social work department.
Dougie Dunlop, social work head of service, said a care package was being put in place for Mrs Fitchet and that he would respond to the councillors’ questions.
He said: “We operate a system in partnership with NHS Tayside where clients are entered into a database when they are ready for discharge. This is the official system agreed by both parties to ensure there is consistency of practice.
“NHS Tayside entered Mrs Fitchet into the system on August 21, at which point our processes kicked in and an arrangement was made to have Mrs Fitchet’s needs assessed. We are currently putting the necessary care package in place.”