Seven months after being told he was ready to leave hospital, amputee David Taylor is stuck on a rehabilitation ward and says losing his leg was “easier” than finding somewhere new to live.
The 57-year-old says the strain of being separated from his family for so long has badly affected his mental health and left him feeling “ripped apart”.
The grandfather of seven was admitted to Pontefract Hospital last December to recover after life-saving surgery to deal with a sepsis infection that nearly killed him.
David, from Knottingley, has been unable to go home because the doors at his house are too narrow for his wheelchair and attempts to find a new property through local housing association Vico Homes have failed.
“Mentally, I’m holding on by a shoelace and physically, my heart is holding on by a shoelace,” he says.
“I want to be back with my wife, I want to see my grandkids more, and at the minute this is keeping us apart.
“The last 10 months, with losing my leg, has been a massive learning curve, and when you figure out the easiest part was having my leg off, it’s gut-wrenching”.
It was in November 2024 that David first became unwell.
A chest infection turned into sepsis that required five emergency operations at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, including the amputation of his left leg below the knee.
David was later moved to Pontefract Hospital to recover – and he has been there ever since.
He is currently living in a side-room of a rehabilitation ward where most patients only stay until they are medically fit to go home.
He reached that point in mid-January but continues to occupy a bed where every aspect of his life is dictated by the daily routines of the hospital.
His wife Kerry says she has become increasingly worried about his mood, which recently had to be assessed by a mental health team at the hospital.
“I had to rush here two weeks ago because Dave was in a position where he wanted to do some damage to himself, and I stayed over that night,” she says.
“It hurts, it hurts a lot actually.”
The couple say they have applied for “between 70 and 80” properties through a website run by Vico Homes, but despite being in the highest priority group, they have had no luck.
The organisation, formerly known as Wakefield District Housing, has recently suggested he could return home temporarily if modifications were made to his existing house, even though an inspection found the kitchen and bathroom doors could not be widened.
The couple worry that if they agree, even in the short term, they could be stuck in a house where he can’t go to the toilet.
“We’re begging for a place to live, how bad is that in the UK,” Kerry says. “We’re 10 months apart now and it shouldn’t be like that.”
Wakefield Council has a duty, under the Homelessness Act 2002, to find David a suitable home to return to.
They initially offered him a place in supported accommodation, but he turned it down because he wanted to live independently with his wife.
Councillor Pete Girt, who represents Knottingley on Wakefield Council, has been supporting David and says it’s “probably” the worst case he’s come across.
“I’m really surprised they’ve not found him a suitable property by now,” he says.
“Keeping a man stuck in hospital and increasing the burden on the NHS is just not acceptable.”
In a statement, Vico Homes said: “We’re continuing to support Mr Taylor and his family to find a suitable home.
“We have assured him that allowing us to adapt his home so he can return to it in the short-term will not affect his priority for a more suitable home, if his needs stay the same.”
A spokesperson for Wakefield Council said: “We continue to offer David support to enable his discharge from hospital, alongside Vico Homes’s commitment to significantly adapt his home. These offers can be taken up at any time.
“If he chooses to return home, David will remain in the highest priority category.
“So, he can continue his applications to find a more suitable longer-term home, which he is currently doing from hospital.”
