AN elderly disabled West Somerset woman has been hospitalised after alleged failures by community equipment supplier Medequip left her stuck in a reclining chair.

It took four Minehead firemen to lift 74-year-old Phyllis Goodall from the chair on Monday (July 14) so she could be taken to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.

Husband John Goodall, aged 85, told the Free Press of his horror when he discovered his wife’s plight on returning home from hospital on Friday after receiving treatment for stomach cancer.

Mr Goodall said the chair’s control panel had been faulty for about three weeks and Medequip had repeatedly said a new part would be ordered.

A previous photograph of Phyllis Goodall, who has been hospitalised.
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By Friday, the control had stopped working entirely, meaning the chair could not be raised and Mrs Goodall, who cannot walk, was forced to sleep in it.

Carers who daily visited the couple’s home in Timberscombe to help look after Mrs Goodall were unable to lift her.

Mr Goodall said by Monday morning his wife had been lying in her own urine for 30 hours and he spoke again with Medequip, which said it was placing an order for the new part which would take a week to arrive.

He said: “This should not be happening, it is not right, it is disgusting.”

Late on Monday, Mr Goodall called for emergency services help and two first responders were sent.

But they were physically unable to move Mrs Goodall and in turn had to call the fire brigade for more help.

Mr Goodall, who has previously been honoured by the Timberscombe community for organising 15,000 takeaway meals for lonely and elderly people during Covid lockdowns, said: “They said my wife had to go into hospital because she could not stay in those conditions.

“They said she needed to be looked after in hospital.”

Medequip is commissioned by Somerset Council to provide community equipment and wheelchair services across the county.

A Somerset Council spokesperson told the Free Press: “We are aware of this situation and are currently working closely with Medequip, NHS, and the relevant care provider to come to a solution to support the individual concerned.”