KEY POINTS:
A North Shore woman is "incredibly distressed" by the treatment of her elderly father at North Shore Hospital, after a ring was taken off his finger while in its care.
The woman believes the ring was stolen and has filed a complaint about the incident that she likened to "robbing the dead".
She said there was "no way" anyone else had taken the signet ring which her 83-year-old father owned for more than 60 years off his finger.
Her father was admitted to North Shore Hospital six weeks ago in need of a hip replacement, and then spent time recovering at Lady Allum care facility in Milford. He was readmitted into North Shore Hospital after he "took a funny turn".
He is still recovering in hospital.
His daughter said he was heavily sedated overnight, and there was no chance he took the ring off his own finger.
"They decided to keep him overnight, so me and my daughter left at about 10pm that night. By 1pm the next day when we went back, his ring was gone," she said.
"It stayed on his finger for the whole six weeks he was in hospital for his hip, and he would have never taken it off, but now it's gone and I think someone has taken it."
She said her daughter took off her father's watch for him before they left the hospital, but left the ring on his finger because it was on too tight.
After searching the hospital room, her house and the hospital safe for the missing ring, she said she was urged by the head of unit to write a letter of complaint, which she hand-delivered to the hospital within two days.
General manager of adult health services
Andrew Potts said all staff members involved with the care of her father had been interviewed, but there was no evidence to suggest the ring was taken by a staff member.
