Lucinda Ritchie, 33, who lives with a disability, says she feels “betrayed” after being placed in a nursing home without her consent.
She had been living in an adapted bungalow in Billinghurst, West Sussex, before being hospitalized with pneumonia last April.
Instead, she was moved to a nursing home in Uckfield, roughly an hour away from her family.Just two days after arriving, her health worsened and she was taken back to the hospital.
Neil Allen, an independent barrister, said it’s very rare for someone who has full mental capacity to be placed in a nursing home against their will. He called the situation “totally unlawful.”
NHS Sussex has pushed back on claims that costs played a role in the decision; they said the move was based entirely on concerns about her clinical safety.
“Life Not Worth Living If I Can’t Return Home”
Ritchie lives with several complex health conditions, including functional neurological disorder, which affects her movement; Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which impacts her joints; Addison’s disease; and epilepsy.
Although she was able to speak when she was younger, she has been using eye-gaze technology to communicate since 2017.
Before she was admitted to hospital, she received round-the-clock one-to-one nursing care in her own home; the support was funded through NHS Continuing Healthcare.
At the same time, she was completing a master’s degree in sustainability at Southampton University and was active as both a keynote speaker and a charity ambassador.
In 2023 and 2024, she was recognized as one of the UK’s most influential disabled people for her work helping improve communication through eye-gaze technology.
Her mother, Christine, said she was told she would not be allowed to return home and would instead be moved to a nursing home after being discharged from the hospital.
Despite objecting to the decision, the transfer still happened.
She said she was heartbroken and just wanted to be back in her own house.
She said that being at home with her nursing team makes her feel secure and allows her to easily spend time with family and friends.
Living there also gives her a sense of independence and control over her environment; she can use her wheelchair-accessible van to go shopping or attend events.
She has since said that life would not feel worth living if she is unable to return home.
