Damning photo lays bare grim reality of NHS crisis as A&E patients wait on trolleys
Damning photo lays bare grim reality of NHS crisis as A&E patients wait on trolleys
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This disturbing picture captures the grim reality of the NHS crisis - as elderly patients lie in trolleys in a hospital corridor as they wait for care. The image shows a long row of trolleys, each occupied with a patient, in a crowded corridor at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. Bed bays at the hospital's A&E department was full at the time and so a lengthy queue had backed up.
The Royal College of Nursing told us this month scenes like this are "becoming the norm" as similar pictures emerged from other facilities, including Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital. Yet, research shows patients are more likely to die within a month if they spend more than half a day waiting in A&E.
Samantha Howes, 38, took her daughter to William Harvey Hospital this month and was shocked at the chaos in the corridor. Samantha, who is a carer, said: "I’ve never seen anything like it. It makes you emotional. A lot of these elderly folk looked fearful and confused. Some were being treated as people walked past. A few had their legs sticking out. Where’s the dignity in that?".
Mum-of-two Samantha estimated around 15 people were waiting on trolleys in the corridor she encountered. She told The Sun: "There were sick people everywhere. Even the children’s A&E waiting room was full. I feel for the nurses. They’re overworked and stressed. But it’s disgusting that people must wait in these conditions.".
