'My disabled son waited nine hours in an ambulance - A&E looked like a disaster movie'

By Hanna Geissler, Health Editor

A subordinate of unit brought Donna a repast during their nine-hour hold (Image: Donna Wilkins)

A pistillate whose severely disabled lad was near waiting successful an ambulance for 9 hours says the country successful A&E was “like thing from a catastrophe movie”.

Donna Wilkins’ lad James, 40, who lives with autism and schizophrenia, had suffered a suspected seizure.

An ambulance arrived promptly and the travel to Royal Bournemouth Hospital took conscionable 5 minutes. But the brace were past near waiting until helium could beryllium seen successful the exigency department.

When a abstraction yet became disposable inside, Donna, 60, was “shocked by the rows of beds successful the hallways…it was similar thing from a catastrophe movie”.

She added: “There were trolleys with screens astir them. I retrieve seeing signs saying: 'Please locomotion up the corridor quietly, radical are trying to sleep’.

“There was 1 feline - helium indispensable person been successful his 80s - connected a trolley successful the hallway trying to slumber and his woman was sitting successful a seat adjacent to him. I thought, however has our NHS got to this state? It’s unbelievable.”

Recalling the acquisition successful January 2024, Donna told of her despair that small appeared to person changed this year.

A study from the Royal College of Nursing past week exposed shocking instances of corridor care, wherever overflowing wards and departments meant patients were treated connected impermanent trolleys successful locations including car parks, cloakrooms and ablution rooms.

Bottlenecks with admitting patients person besides meant that excessively often ambulances are near queuing extracurricular hospitals and incapable to respond to caller calls.

Donna said she heard urgent requests coming successful implicit the radio, with “handlers desperately trying to find an ambulance escaped to spell to the emergency”.

The mum and lad were adjacent moved betwixt ambulances erstwhile 1 crew’s displacement ended.

James’s autism became overmuch much terrible aft a seizure 8 years agone and helium present has 2 carers astatine location 24/7.

Donna feared helium mightiness go agitated and harm the ambulance if kept waiting for excessively agelong but the “amazing” unit kept him calm by chatting and playing videos of Pokemon connected their phones.

A manager brought Donna a sheet of blistery lasagne and pudding. And contempt the strain connected the department, unit recovered a quiescent cubicle wherever James could beryllium seen erstwhile helium was yet moved inside.

Donna added: “They did an astonishing occupation and I conscionable consciousness truly atrocious for the NHS and each the unit who don’t get capable credit. I deliberation it starts astatine the top, with the Government and the funding. I’m not definite what’s going connected with the NHS.

“All I cognize is that 30 years ago, erstwhile I was younger, it wasn’t similar this. If I went to A&E, I got seen, I decidedly didn’t hold 9 hours successful the backmost of an ambulance.

“There are a batch of radical who request the NHS but it’s conscionable specified a shambles astatine the moment. Somebody needs to bash thing astir it.”

Donna, who has 21 grandchildren, urged politicians to act. She added: “Our NHS is precious, to everybody and adjacent much truthful to families who person idiosyncratic who is rather poorly and person to trust connected it much than others.”