Police carried out a frantic search of Ninewells Hospital when a ”frail” 90-year-old went missing.
Catherine Knoll disappeared from the Area 6 outpatient clinic at around 1pm yesterday, after she was driven there from her Blairgowrie home by the Patient Transport Service.
She was discovered 16 miles away in St Andrews several hours later 32 miles from home.
Police are unsure how she got to Fife but it is thought she wandered out of the hospital and boarded public transport.
The alarm was raised by the patient transport service when they returned to Area 6 and Ms Knoll, who suffers from dementia, was nowhere to be found.
Dozens of police were deployed in the hunt, which saw officers posted at hospital exits while colleagues searched the car park and surrounding area.
The 5ft 3in pensioner was described as ”very frail” and an officer on the scene said they were ”keen to find her before dark”.
He added: ”We’re very concerned. We’ve got as many officers as possible carrying out a systematic search.”
The pensioner’s son George Knoll (65) was alerted by hospital staff.
He said: ”I found out about the back of 12 that she was missing.
”The hospital phoned me. They just said: ‘Your mother is missing and we’re trying to find her’.
”I wasn’t too happy at the time. She’s a woman of 90 with dementia.”
Police were stood down shortly after 4pm, when a spokeswoman for Tayside Police said: ”Catherine has been traced by the police safe and well.”
An officer told The Courier: ”She’s made her way out of the hospital and left the area on public transport.
”A member of the public was concerned about her and she was taken to St Andrews police office.”
Officers in Fife then alerted Tayside Police and a car was sent across Tay Bridge to pick her up and take her home to Blairgowrie.
Inspector Young of Fife Constabulary said: ”She was taken in to St Andrews police station by a taxi driver at 3.35pm. No medical assessment was requested and she was taken back to the Tayside area.”
Tayside Police later confirmed the alarm was raised by the patient transport service.
A spokeswoman said: ”When they went to get her after her appointment, she was gone.”
The spokeswoman added: ”We don’t actually know for sure how she got to St Andrews but, now that she’s been found safe and well, we won’t be doing too much digging.”
George Knoll, who lives a few streets from his mother in Blairgowrie, said: ”She probably wandered off and got on a bus.
”She’s got dementia and never really gets out now.
”She went to Ninewells on one of the ambulance buses and she must have got away before the girl managed to collect her.
”I wouldn’t blame anybody for it. They’re usually very good with her, actually.
”I know what my mum’s like. She’s very forgetful.”
NHS Tayside has launched an investigation into Mrs Knoll’s disappearance.
A spokeswoman said: ”We are undertaking a full review of the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service, which is responsible for the Patient Transport Service, was contacted by The Courier last night but declined to comment ”until the circumstances are established in full”.
pswindon@thecourier.co.uk