A FRUSTRATED patient who suffered a heart attack claims £200 in cash locked in a safe was lost by a hospital.

Adrian Annis, collapsed in his home on Garland Road, Stourport, before being rushed to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in June this year.

The electrician had more than £600 in cash in his wallet on arrival at the hospital, money paid to him shortly before he was taken ill.

His personal items were logged by the hospital and placed in a safe, but Mr Annis claimed that when he was discharged, his money wasn't counted by staff.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust has said it has found no evidence that the envelope in which the money was stored had been tampered with.

Mr Annis, aged 58, claims he discovered his money was missing days after returning home and didn't check because he "trusted" hospital staff.

He said: "If you can't trust a member of staff who can you trust. I was quite ill. I had no concerns to check my wallet.

"It was only when when my daughter came over and I gave her some money to go to the shops. I could see the wallet didn't look as chunky as it did before.

"That's the only reason why I counted it.

"If I was planning to go into hospital - I'd probably take 20 quid with me.

"You don't go in with that much money unless it was an emergency, which it was."

On July 6, Mr Annis contacted patient services and raised concerns about the missing money which he believes was lost by the hospital. He did not contact the police.

In a letter seen by The Shuttle, the hospital trust confirmed that when Mr Annis was admitted to the cardiology unit, £635 was recorded on a patient property disclaimer sheet and placed in the ward safe.

The document was signed by a member of staff, and by Mr Annis himself. The letter says an envelope containing Mr Annis' belongings was signed both into and out of a safe by two members of staff.

However, on its return to Mr Annis, the trust said in the letter: "Unfortunately the staff did not count the money, but staff statements state that the envelope was intact and sealed and that there were no concerns regarding the condition of the envelope or its contents expressed by you at the time or during the time you were in the discharge lounge."

The hospital received contact from Mr Annis about the missing money four days after he was discharged, according to the letter.

It added: "We have found no evidence in which your money was stored had been tampered with."

After receiving the letter from the hospital trust, Mr Annis says he has questions left unanswered and wants to know why his money wasn't counted and checked when he was discharged.

He says there is "no way" the money could have gone missing after he left hospital.

Mr Annis added: "I thought they were going to take care of it. I should have contacted the police.

"I gave them a good review. The staff looked after me very well. I wish I hadn't now."

Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “A full and thorough investigation has been carried out into the concerns raised by Mr Annis and we have provided Mr Annis with details of the findings.

“We can confirm that we have found no evidence that the envelope in which the money was stored had been tampered with.

“We take all complaints extremely seriously and all formal complaints are investigated fully and a written response is shared with the complainant."