A WOMAN patient aged 94 sustained facial injuries after an elderly male patient attacked her in the middle of the night in her hospital bed.

Violet Coates’ family are upset that the man was able to walk unseen into her private room on a ward at Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital at 3am last Friday.

They claim the nearby nurses’ station on Sedge-moor Ward must have been unattended, but this has not been confirmed by the hospital.

Mrs Coates, pictured right who is now recovering in Musgrove, suffered bruising to her neck and temples, and a fat lip. Hospital bosses, who say such incidents are “extremely rare”, have launched an investigation.

Police were called at 8.15am, but no charges are likely. The family say they were not told until 9am. Mrs Coates’ granddaughter, Sarah Woodward , said: “She was absolutely terrified.

“She told us she thought she was going to die without seeing her family again.

“I’m very angry because she should have been safe in her own room.

“We’ve been told the man’s actions were completely out of character, but there was no-one supervising. “I understand she was asking for her family, but it took them almost six hours to call us.

“She was very distressed.”

Mrs Coates, a widow who previously lived in East Street, Taunton, had been in hospital since before Christmas and was due to move to a nursing home. Musgrove Park Hospital chief executive Jo Cub-bon said the incident was being taken “extremely seriously”.

She said: “We’re in close contact with the families involved to ensure that they’re kept fully informed.

“Our medical director, Dr Colin Close, has also met with the families to talk through their concerns and personally offer his support as we appreciate that both families will be anxious and concerned for their relatives.

Keeping our patients safe from harmis a priority for all our staff, and I’d like to take this opportunity to reassure our community that incidents such as this are extremely rare.

“We know a lot of our patients are frail and elderly, and many are also confused who, when cared for in unfamiliar surroundings, can be disorientated and behave in an unpredictable way.

“Once our investigation is complete we’ll share the outcomes from our investigation, and any areas of learning, with the families involved.

“Though this is an extremely rare occurrence, there’s a growing issue with regard to how elderly patients are cared for in hospitals and if, indeed, a hospital environment is the best place for some of them.”