“You expect these sorts of scenes during a major incident, but not for a regular Wednesday night in Liverpool”
Rows of ambulances parked up outside Aintree Hospital last week
There are fears that the crisis in NHS Hospital A&E departments is already here after an 84-year old man spent 11 hours in a parked ambulance with no room inside the ‘war zone’ emergency room of a Merseyside hospital.
James Maloney says the situation at Aintree Hospital this week felt like a “major incident” as his father is 84 and has a range of health issues. His GP couldn’t treat him at home, so he was referred to Aintree for x-rays and treatment for suspected pneumonia and an infection and taken in by ambulance.
They arrived at the hospital at around 5.30pm on Wednesday evening but were told they would have to wait in the back of the ambulance outside the hospital because there was no room inside the emergency department.
James explained: “Originally, he was meant to be admitted via one of the other medical units, but they were already over capacity when we arrived, so he had to be admitted via A&E.
“He was booked in, but then the ambulance crew were told that he would have to be put on ‘hold’ in the ambulance. This is were we ended up waiting for hours on end. Sat waiting to be seen by medics in the parking bays outside A&E, not even inside the door.”
Describing the scenes inside the A&E department, he added: “In all my years of visiting Aintree, this is the worst that I have ever witnessed. It was pure chaos – like a war zone.
“There were trolleys and chairs in every available space you could think of. There were maybe four or five people on stretchers in the ambulance foyer, an area normally used for storing blankets and empty trolleys.
“It was bedlam. One lady had a seizure in the waiting area and was left there after being treated. You expect these sorts of scenes during a major incident, but not for a regular Wednesday night in Liverpool.
Rows of ambulances parked up outside Aintree Hospital last week
He added: “My dad wasn’t the only person being put on ‘hold’ in the ambulance bay – there were rows of ambulances, all with people needing help and with no resolution in sight.”
The wait in the ambulance for James and his elderly father lasted for 11 hours in total. This went on for so long that they actually had to be switched to a different vehicle as two shifts switched over. Around 4am they were finally moved onto the corridor inside the hospital.
James, from Fazakerley, added: “You know there’s something terribly wrong when a trolley in a corridor or a glorified conservatory seems like a luxury at this point.”
He said the staff working on the ground were all “lovely and sympathetic,” but added: “How can they manage something like this?”
“When did urgent medical care forget compassion? Those at their most vulnerable deserve care and dignity, not neglect or to be left waiting in a parking bay or stuffed into a corner somewhere.”
In a response, Dr Peter Turkington, executive managing director for Aintree University Hospital, said: “I am very sorry to hear about Mr Maloney’s experience on this occasion and take these concerns very seriously.
“We have had a very busy couple of weeks in our Emergency Department, which has unfortunately resulted in longer waits for some patients.
“Our staff are working incredibly hard to provide the best care possible in these circumstances, and we continue to work with system partners to discharge patients who no longer require a hospital bed.”