Vulnerable 95-year-old army veteran who spent most of his time in Milton Keynes hospital is given new luxury life

Alfred, who lived alone, found himself constantly in and out of MK University Hospital after being diagnosed with dementia.

But now, thanks to a number of organisations and teams working together on his behalf, he has been found a place in a specialist home for armed forces veterans.

This means he is in a loving and caring environment that understands his needs and celebrates his military background.

And it also means his hospital bed can be used by someone needing acute care, thus reducing waiting times for incoming patients in Milton Keynes.

Alfred’s story is being shared by the Royal Star & Garter charity ahead of Armed Forces Day, which takes place on Saturday June 28.

Royal Star & Garter provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia and has recently merged with the military charity Care for Veterans.

They also offer services reaching into the community, including day care, lunch clubs and a free-to-use Telephone Friendship Service.

Alfred had served in the Army for two years for his National Service, from 1949-51, and was then a Reservist until 1964. But over the past few years he was admitted to hospital multiple times as it became clear he was no longer safe to live alone.

Figures released by NHS England in February 2025 shows around one-in-seven beds are taken up by patients who were medically fit for discharge but there is nowhere else for them to go.

MKUH’s Armed Forces Covenant Support Officer,Johanna Hrycak, helps such patients get discharged into appropriate settings. She was impressed by the charity’s Home in High Wycombe, which she visited when the hospital was going through its VCHA accreditation – a programme designed to support NHS healthcare providers understand and meet the needs of the Armed Forces community.

Johanna reached out to Royal Star & Garter, whose team found Alfred a room at its Surbiton Home.

She said: “It was a complicated case as Alfred lived in the Bucks Council area, and was at hospital in the Milton Keynes council area, so it took some time to establish who could help him. But we were able to clear this hurdle, and I told the discharge team and dementia team at the hospital about Royal Star & Garter. So we were all able to work together to get the very best outcome for Alfred... I’m absolutely delighted.”

Johanna added: “When someone no longer needs acute medical care, it is important to quickly find them an alternative to hospital. As a military charity offering exceptional nursing and dementia care, Royal Star & Garter can look after patients such as Alfred, and we have the motivation to get them off a ward and to a more suitable setting.

"Whenever we have suitable veterans, Royal Star & Garter is always my first-port-of-call.”

Alfred said: “I’m happy to be here, and I am looked after very well. They’re very good, you couldn’t get better than you get here. It really is excellent.”