A British grandmother remains stranded in a Turkish hospital after falling critically ill during a family holiday, with her family told she cannot return to the UK due to a shortage of hospital beds. Gill Taylor-Scarth, 56, from Formby, has been unable to return to Liverpool for nearly a month after requiring emergency brain surgery.
The two-week family holiday to Hisaronu was organised by Gill's husband Kevin Scarth before his death in December 2023 at age 65. Gill had been diagnosed with a brain tumour just weeks after Kevin's passing, but decided to join the trip he had planned for the extended family including children and grandchildren.
Emergency surgery in Turkey
Gill began feeling unwell just days into the holiday, experiencing balance problems and severe headaches. On August 23, her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was rushed to a private hospital in Antalya where doctors warned she needed urgent surgery.
Turkish surgeons performed an eight-hour operation on August 26 to remove the tumour from her brain stem. The family had hoped to wait until she could be transferred back to the UK, but medical staff said it was too dangerous to delay the procedure any longer.
NHS bed shortage blocks return
The family has since been told Gill cannot be flown back to Liverpool because there are no available beds at The Walton Centre, where she had been receiving cancer treatment before her trip. Her daughter Sophie Taylor, 25, said: "We are really struggling to get her home. She's stuck in hospital, where they don't speak English."
A spokesperson for The Walton Centre said: "We are working closely with the family and the insurance company on the next steps in order to repatriate in a medically appropriate way. All patients must be assessed rigorously to ensure appropriate admission."
Family's mounting struggles
Gill's condition has since worsened, with pneumonia developing after surgery. She has lost her speech completely and remains immobile, though doctors say her speech may never return.
Sophie said: "She is crying daily; it's mentally affecting her. The worst part is she is fully aware of her surroundings but she's immobile and her speech has completely gone." The family faces mounting costs from repeated flights between the UK and Turkey, while Sophie cannot see her two-year-old child due to caring for her mother.
Sophie added: "I don't understand why she can't just go to the Royal or somewhere instead. We just want her home."
Sources used: "Daily Star", "Daily Record", "Mirror" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
