Obese man man who blocked four beds in King's Mill hospital discharged

Matthew Crawford, from Newark, was said to be taking up a four-bed bay at the hospital despite being medically fit to be discharged, according to Mirror Online.

He was admitted in spring 2018 with sepsis, and could not be moved out of the hospital until a social care place was found for him, despite reportedly taking up a four bed bay.

In October 2018, the hospital said a move was imminent, although he had been in the hospital since May that year.

One source told the Daily Mirror that a move to a different unit would not be going ahead as planned, after they discovered he had a conviction for attacking nurses.

They added that Mr Crawford’s care bill included up to £7,000 a week for a rented reinforced bed.

In October 2018, Mr Crawford’s mum Linda Belshaw said he was waiting for equipment to be installed in a care home before he could move in.

Mr Crawford was convicted in 2018 of assaulting four nurses at a care home, and was ordered to pay compensation, despite being too heavy to attend court.

A spokesperson for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust said: “While we are not able to comment on the care of individual patients for reasons of confidentiality, we can confirm that Mr Crawford is no longer in the care of Sherwood Forest Hospitals.

“We are pleased for all concerned that he is now in a more appropriate setting.”

Mr Crawford confirmed on his social media that he had been discharged on December 17.

He wrote: “I was originally admitted I was seriously ill with sepsis and I took a lot of persuading for them to take me to hospital.

“Social services didn't do anything to help find me a placement for nearly three months until the hospitals legal team got involved.”

It was claimed Mr Crawford was regularly ordering pizza and takeaways to eat on the ward, a claim which he vehemently denied.