A seriously ill woman spent the night on a hospital trolley at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital because a bed was not available, it was claimed today.
Gillian Bennett, of Ketley, Telford, was taken to the PRH for treatment on Tuesday after a cold caused her lung condition to worsen.
But today her husband Brian, 51, said she was left on a trolley in a corridor, before being forced to spend the night in an unused operating theatre.
“It is the kind of thing you hear about, but never can imagine will happen to you, I am absolutely shocked,” he said.
A spokesman for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust today said they did not comment on individual cases, but said the hospital had experienced a high level of demand over the last few days, with large numbers of patients being admitted to the hospital.
He said: “This can be due to a wide range of unpredictable factors beyond our control.
“Our priority at all times is to provide the best possible quality of care for all of our patients. So, when demand on our services is high, we do our best to ensure that patients are seen as quickly as possible.
“We regret that sometimes this does mean longer waits for patients, including waiting for a suitable bed, during these busy periods.”
Mr Bennett said his 48-year-old wife, who suffers from the lung disease sarcoidosis, was taken into hospital for treatment and oxygen after being advised by a doctor.
Mr Bennett said his wife was still in hospital today.
6 Comments
y dont you put the cuboads on the end of the beds then you will have more room for beds on the wardsand put a sliding chair under the beds. one s that you pull out?
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Trevor powles said:
“y dont you put the cuboads on the end of the beds then you will have more room for beds on the wardsand put a sliding chair under the beds. one s that you pull out?”
Excellent thinking Trevor - ever thought of a career in NHS senior management? I’m surprised you forgot to mention three tier bunks - another obvious and long-overdue space-saving measure.
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If thee are no beds, what is the hospital supposed to do?
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I was also in the very busy A & E department on Tuesday evening.It was very busy with alot of sick people there. the doctors and nursing staff did an excellent job in getting the very sick dealt with quickly and the pepole who were there who were sick but not an emergency were seen by a dr as soon as it was possible.i am sure Mrs Bennett got the best possible care, even though she was on a trolley, i had to make do with a hard chair for 5 hours!!!
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A while ago, my son, who had badly injured his arm in an accident, was treated at the PRH, and I have to say that the emergency care and treatment given on that evening was first class.
However,
4 weeks later, on returning to the PRH for a follow up visit for a 3.30pm appointment with the specialist, it was an entirely different matter.
It appeared that there had been some incident, which had slightly reduced medical staffing levels in the outpatient department.
As a result the out patient waiting area was in Pandemonium … it was like an Airport Departure lounge where all the flights had been cancelled! - With no-one knowing what time anything was happening or when anyone would be seen / treated.
Whilst being very Sympathetic with the reception staff, and their immediate problems, being told that “we cannot give you any idea of what time you will be seen” did not go down well with me , as I have a business to run, and couldn’t wait around for an indefinite time period.
So, I asked if we could re-arrange the appointment (as the medical reason for a “follow up wasn’t critical”).
That wasn’t forthcoming as it seemed that no new arrangments “amongst the mayhem” could be made, so…..
I then asked, …. “does Mr X (consultant) do private visits”? … and the reply was “oh yes - you can call his secretary on 01952 …… (Apley Clinic)
So - we went outside, called 01952 ….. on my mobile and a very nice secretary immediately booked us in, at a very reasonable cost for the following Weds!
We had a very nice meeting with the consultant on the following Weds, following tea and biscuits whilst waiting for a short while in the very comfortable waiting area of the Apley clinic.
So how amazing is that?
From utter Chaos to calm and respectful control, and professionalism. - All because we PAID.
Admittedly the injury wasn’t that serious, and we were only going for a minor follow up / discharge, so it wasn’t expensive (i.e we could realistically afford that on this occasion) but really , money does talk …. and it seems so wrong.
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They said they keep the patient as comfortable as posible. Rubbish.
My wife was sent in on friday evening as an emergency with a heart condition. Waited in the waited room for 7 hours before seeing a doctor, then 3 hours in a cublicle, then told to go home and phone her GP on the Monday morning.
The staff might were polite, but its no replacement for treatment when you are admitted as an emergency case.
Yet while we waited, we saw As the nurses said”regulars, who turn up when they are drunk given treatment”
We need this sorting before Telford increases in size.
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