AN elderly man with dementia was found wandering along Newport’s dual carriageway at 5am when he was believed to be in St Mary’s Hospital.

Now the furious daughter of 77-year-old Norman Cannan is asking how it happened.

She has contacted the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s chief executive and the Care Quality Commission after initially being told it was due to a communication breakdown.

Mr Cannan, who has vascular dementia, was taken to hospital with a head injury following a fall outside his home last month.

Police found Mr Cannan without his glasses or walking stick, wearing a pair of shorts, cold and confused on the dual carriageway early in the morning on October 28.

His daughter, Deborah, was woken at 5.30am as police returned him to his West Wight home.

Deborah told the County Press she called St Mary’s to ask why her father was not at the hospital and why she was not contacted to pick him up.

She said a doctor told her no one realised her father had not been collected, after being deemed medically fit for discharge.

Not content with the feedback she received, Deborah was told to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) with her complaint but refused, instead opting to write directly to the chief executive to demand an investigation and a meeting with him and the medical director.

A response three weeks later from a senior Isle of Wight NHS Trust manager explained the incident had been a 'communication breakdown', said Deborah.

She continued: “I think it’s disgraceful. I am absolutely appalled.

“It’s like they’re going to sweep it under the rug.”

She has since requested the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to investigate.

Deborah said she told the NHS trust: “Think yourself lucky my dad is still alive; he could have been killed on the dual carriageway. You could have killed him.

“This is a daughter concerned for her father… you failed him.”

A trust spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of Mr Cannan’s experience.

“We have not yet received a formal complaint, however, we are committed to working with Mr Cannan and his family to resolve any concerns.

“We will also be happy to work with the CQC if they raise any queries with us.”