Patient left in 'room full of junk' at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital
A couple have received an apology from hospital bosses after a woman was treated in a side room that they claimed was "full of junk".
The woman was told there was no emergency buzzer – so was handed a bell and told to ring if she needed attention.
The patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, was admitted to Telford's Princess Royal Hospital's A&E department on Tuesday.
Her husband said today: "My wife suffers with asthma and she contracted a chest infection so we took her to A&E.
"She spent most of the day in A&E as they were very busy. The staff were working so hard and were rushed off their feet.
"She was eventually transferred to ward nine where she had to wait for a bed. The bed she was eventually given was in an old side room, full of junk.
"The blue floor was stained brown and her emergency buzzer was a brass bell and there were blood-filled needles left in a tray in the corner of the room. I just wanted to take her home."
The hospital issued the woman with an apology and moved her to a ward.
Sarah Bloomfield, director of nursing and quality at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), said: "Our hospitals have been incredibly busy over the last few weeks and that means that every day we have to make important decisions about the best ways to keep our patients safe and ensure they are treated with dignity.
"When our hospitals are so busy, our primary focus is on patient care. At times that involves admitting patients to recognised escalation areas such as, in this case, a treatment room on the ward.
"We have spoken to the patient and her family to ensure we understand their concerns and to explain some of the reasons why this area is in use."
She added: "This room is normally used to treat patients who need help with their breathing and all of the equipment in the room is vital to that treatment.
"Nevertheless, we accept that the room was not in the condition we would have wanted when being used by a patient and we have taken immediate steps to address that."
On Tuesday it was revealed a quarter of people attending A&E at Shropshire's two main hospitals in the last fortnight are having to wait four hours or more to be dealt with. The target is for 95 per cent to be seen within the four hours.
Shropshire's ambulance service has also said its resources are being strained by an increased number of calls.
In the first week of March West Midlands Ambulance Service had more than 22,000 999 calls across the region. That figure is up more than 10 per cent compared to last year.
