A husband has hit out at the "ridiculous" 32 hours his wife was forced to sit waiting for a bed at an accident and emergency department. Kay Davies, 58, from Resolven, was taken to A&E at Morriston Hospital in Swansea by her husband Philip Martin on Bank Holiday Monday, as she began feeling very unwell, and vomiting.
In the last year, Morriston Hospital health care support worker, Mrs Davies, has had a cancerous tumour removed from her neck and underwent six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She also has an aneurysm to the brain. Mr Martin, 59, praised the efforts of hard working staff at the hospital, but said he felt something had to be done to improve the issues surrounding the time patients were being asked to wait, claiming there was one fellow patient there who had been waiting for three days.
Swansea Bay University Health Board said there was an "unprecedented demand" on the hospital's A&E department over the Easter bank holiday weekend which had a "considerable impact on waiting times." Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
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Mr Martin, a support worker at a children's home, said: "My wife had been unwell for nine days in bed with a temperature and didn't want to go to A&E, but she didn't improve and I took her in on Monday at 2pm. She didn't get a bed until Wednesday. It was 32 hours before she got a bed. We had absolutely no idea it would take that long. I only had £2 on me. There was another guy in a wheelchair awaiting leg treatment who said he had been there for three days.
"The treatment we had from the NHS staff was fantastic, but it was so rammed in A&E it was ridiculous. I stayed with Kay for 11 hours and then I had to go to work. I couldn't believe it when I came back and she was still there waiting for a bed. It was a terrible experience for her, it was a case of waiting for someone to go so she could have a lie down.
"I did speak to staff and said that I wanted to make a complaint. I said the treatment received by them was fantastic, but that I wanted to make a complaint about the waiting time. Everyone who was there felt it was ridiculous. There were nine ambulances waiting outside at one point. I don't know what the answer could be. The NHS is having millions thrown at it but it is still overwhelmed."
A spokeswoman for Swansea Bay University Health Board said: “The demand on Morriston Hospital’s emergency department was unprecedented over the long Easter bank holiday weekend. We saw a large number of very unwell patients and, as we will always prioritise those with the most serious and life-threatening illnesses and injuries, this unfortunately had a considerable impact on waiting times within the department.
"We would ask people to consider alternative ways of getting help when they are able to. The NHS Wales 111 website offers a symptom checker and advice on next steps. Community pharmacies also offer advice and medication for many common ailments and conditions. Mental health support is available by ringing 111 and choosing option 2.”
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