'We’re being betrayed here': Telford A&E patient slams politicians and NHS decision-makers
A patient who was taken to Telford's A&E by ambulance after suffering severe chest pain says he spent almost 24 hours waiting on a trolley and hospital chair due to a lack of beds.
Clive Hill has praised staff at Princess Royal Hospital's emergency department for "doing the very best job they could" but the 74-year-old says he has seen first-hand how the NHS is in desperate need of more funding.
He arrived at the hospital on the afternoon of December 16 – one of the emergency department's busiest days this month, according to health bosses.
After being assessed in an A&E cubicle, he was told further tests were needed and that he needed to be admitted to a medical ward.
As there were no beds available, Mr Hill says he waited hours on a trolley before being moved to a chair at 1am the next day – after being told his trolley was needed by another patient.
Mr Hill, of Shrewsbury, said: "The staff were fantastic and doing the very best job they could, but they’re working in conditions that aren’t acceptable.
"We must get more money put into our NHS, and for goodness sake, will they withdraw these ludicrous plans to downgrade the Princess Royal?
"I’m so angry about this. This isn’t about people misusing the NHS.
"The people I shared that corridor with were seriously ill and needed to be there.
"We’re being betrayed here – not by frontline health workers but by the politicians and NHS decision-makers who are driving through cuts."
He was discharged at about 1pm on December 17 – around 24 hours after arriving at the hospital, but he says he was never given a bed and spent a sleepless night sat on a chair in a corridor.
"I was lucky, it turned out not to be a heart attack," he added.
"But you know, you hear these stories about the NHS being under pressure.
"I didn’t understand just how bad it really is until I was there myself."
Clive’s wife, Helen Hill, also described how A&E at PRH had been "full to capacity, with the corridors packed with people waiting on trolleys".
She added: "I’m so grateful to staff for looking after Clive, but this is just not working.
"We need our MPs to wake up to the crisis unfolding in our NHS.
"They must fight for decent local funding."
Last week, new NHS figures revealed the number of patients facing long waits on trolleys at Shropshire's A&Es rose in November, while health chiefs said the county's hospitals continued to face significant pressure.
Nigel Lee, chief operating officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs PRH and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, said: “This is not the experience we would like for any of our patients.
“That particular day was the third busiest throughout December and we were seeing an average of almost six ambulances arriving at our A&Es every hour.
“Every day we are seeing acute and complex cases and a high number of patients arriving by ambulance needing urgent and immediate attention.
"We therefore ask people to think if they need the specialist service that our A&Es provide.
“I would like to thank our staff who are working so hard to ensure our patients are treated safely and with kindness despite these very challenging conditions and our patients for their understanding during this incredibly busy time.”
