The son of an 88-year-old woman, who spent over 60 hours in A&E, has expressed his concern that his mother’s dignity was stripped away during the ordeal.
Maureen Harman was admitted to Wigan Infirmary in Greater Manchester on Monday evening. However, by Thursday afternoon, she had still not been moved to a ward.
Her son, Nick Harman, told the BBC that his mother had spent most of the time lying on a trolley in a hallway alongside many other patients.
Wrightington, Wigan, and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) apologized for the long delays and explained that they had been facing “extremely busy” conditions.
Nick Harman, 56, explained that his mother was growing uncomfortable and said the hallway was filled with people, some escorted by police, as well as drug addicts. He emphasized that her dignity was lost as she had to undergo care in the hallway surrounded by strangers.
Maureen Harman, a retired dinner lady from Wigan, had been jaundiced for about a week before being referred to A&E by her concerned GP. She was awaiting a scan to identify the cause of her jaundice.
Nick Harman expressed shock when told the wait time for a bed could exceed 49 hours. He stated that the situation was unacceptable, especially in modern-day Britain.
While he praised the staff for their efforts, he described the A&E environment as resembling a “warzone.”
According to BBC North West, nearly 39,000 patients in the region had to wait more than a day in emergency departments due to a lack of available hospital beds. More than 1,000 of those patients were forced to wait over three days, often lying on trolleys in corridors.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has warned that such delays could result in thousands of avoidable deaths.
Dr. Michael Gregory, NHS England North West Medical Director, explained that increasing demand across all parts of the NHS has placed significant strain on the system, particularly during the winter months.
Nick Harman added that dealing with his mother’s illness was difficult enough, without the added stress of the indignity she experienced.
In response to the situation, WWL reassured the public that its staff were doing their best to ensure patient safety and meet the needs of the patients currently in the emergency department.
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