A close friend of elderly philanthropist David Barber has scotched claims that he suffered neglect at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Some concerned pals this week said 92-year-old Mr. Barber had not been given proper attention at KEMH, a facility to which he has in the past donated huge sums of money.

However, another friend contacted The Royal Gazette yesterday, keen to put across a different viewpoint and criticising the care Mr. Barber received at Westmeath Nursing and Residential Home prior to his spell in hospital.

"If he had not been dehydrated at the start of all this as a result of his care at Westmeath he would not have been in hospital to begin with," claimed the man, who asked that his name not be printed.

"Mr. Barber has an eye problem that required treatment, and he got some laser work done and had some headaches. In September, he decided to check himself in for 'intermediate care' at Westmeath.

"I went in one Sunday about two weeks after this and he was terribly dehydrated and there was no water in his room. It was a little distressing to go in and find him like that."

The friend said he alerted staff to this, and Mr. Barber was subsequently admitted to KEMH where he remained for several weeks.

Although the elderly gentleman fell and hurt himself while in hospital, the friend said this happened when he got up to go to the bathroom and was not in any way the fault of nursing staff.

He also refuted the allegation that nursing staff at KEMH had neglected to feed Mr. Barber, although he did acknowledge that his room was in a poor state commenting: "The rooms do look as if they could do with a lick of paint."

The friend has not made a formal complaint to Westmeath, but hopes that Mr. Barber will do so.

He added that Mr. Barber is currently suffering from breathing difficulties due to a lung disorder and is receiving 24-hour nursing care at home, but his mind is still sharp and he recently enjoyed Christmas lunch.

Debra Chase, Director of Nursing at Westmeath, denied that Mr. Barber had been taken to hospital suffering from dehydration, and said that he was admitted due to his eye problem.

She said that when Mr. Barber had wished to be accommodated, the only room available was in the lower-dependency intermediate wing rather than the nursing wing, and she had made this clear to Mr. Barber's caregivers.