Damning photo lays bare grim reality of NHS crisis as A&E patients wait on trolleys

The disturbing representation was taken astatine William Harvey Hospital successful Ashford, Kent, wherever aged patients, successful particular, "looked fearful and confused" arsenic the NHS situation worsens

This disturbing representation captures the grim world of the NHS situation - arsenic aged patients prevarication successful trolleys successful a hospital corridor arsenic they hold for care.

The representation shows a agelong enactment of trolleys, each occupied with a patient, successful a crowded corridor astatine William Harvey Hospital successful Ashford, Kent. Bed bays astatine the hospital's A&E section was afloat astatine the clip and truthful a lengthy queue had backed up.

The Royal College of Nursing told america this period scenes similar this are "becoming the norm" arsenic akin pictures emerged from different facilities, including Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital. Yet, probe shows patients are much apt to dice wrong a month if they walk much than fractional a time waiting successful A&E.

Samantha Howes, 38, took her girl to William Harvey Hospital this period and was shocked astatine the chaos successful the corridor. Samantha, who is simply a carer, said: "I’ve ne'er seen thing similar it. It makes you emotional. A batch of these aged people looked fearful and confused. Some were being treated arsenic radical walked past. A fewer had their legs sticking out. Where’s the dignity successful that?"

Mum-of-two Samantha estimated astir 15 radical were waiting connected trolleys successful the corridor she encountered. She told The Sun: "There were sick radical everywhere. Even the children’s A&E waiting country was full. I consciousness for the nurses. They’re overworked and stressed. But it’s disgusting that radical indispensable hold successful these conditions."

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust apologised for the delays, blaming “high demand”. It is not alone, however, arsenic determination were 43,000 12-hour A&E waits a period connected mean past twelvemonth compared with 8,272 for the full of 2019.

A Royal College of Nursing canvass of 5,000 frontline unit recovered two-thirds dainty patients successful non-medical areas each day. Offices, cupboards and car parks are being used. Patients are dying successful waiting rooms and nationalist areas owed to delays.

The probe comes aft a antheral successful a wheelchair suffered a cardiac apprehension and died successful a London hospital - erstwhile the A&E portion was truthful crammed doctors were incapable to scope and resuscitate him. A caregiver determination past week gave a harrowing grounds into the conditions successful which they work.