A FAMILY is concerned for the welfare of their 85-year-old relative after he was treated "like furniture" following his evacuation from the Royal Berkshire Hospital today.

After suffering a fall, John Shepherd, was admitted to the elderly care unit on Battle Block at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

He was just one of several patients in Battle Block who had to be evacuated from the ward following a flood and electrical fire at the hospital on Thursday.

Mr Shepherd's daughter Imogen is a Wokingham town councillor for Emmbrook.

Her partner Wokingham Borough Councillor for Winnersh, Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey, said it was "disgraceful" that her father-in-law had been "passed from pillar to post."

She said: "It is like these people are pieces of furniture and they're just moving them from pillar to post, rather than being treated as people."

"It is just disgraceful, they need to be doing something with these people. I realise it is not their fault that there has been a power cut in the wards but they should be transferring people to other local hospitals in Frimley and Wrexham Park not sending them home."

Cllr Shepherd-DuBey said that the hospital had telephoned her mother-in-law this morning and told her to pick up Mr Shepherd after he had spent the night in the dark.

She said: "They were making him sit in the dark all this time, that is just not proper care no matter how stretched you are.

"My mother-in-law got a call this morning from the hospital saying she needed to pick him up, but she cannot walk and was telling them that she wouldn't be able to pick him up. They told her to put him in a taxi but he could not bend down to get into the taxi.

"When they brought him home they could not get him up the stairs and they had to take him up there in a special stretcher. So if he needs to go back to a different hospital tonight they're going to have to use another stretcher in order to bring him down from upstairs."

Cllr Shepherd-DuBey said her father-in-lawMr Shepherd is "very confused at this point" and added: "It is just not the right thing to do with vulnerable adults. They should not be doing this it violates NHS rules."

The family are concerned that if Mr Shepherd's condition worsens he will then have to go to another hospital in Berkshire.

She said: "I am hoping to call 111 if he is still really poorly and have someone come and take him to Frimley but if he's transferred back from there? What is he a returned ham or something? We do not want him to do a tour of all the hospitals in Berkshire."