Worrying images show patients on trolleys lining an entire corridor of an under-pressure Liverpool Accident and Emergency unit.
Concerned relatives can be seen stood next to their loved ones, who are waiting to be seen as pressure on the National Health Service continues to grow. The images were shared with the ECHO by a man who was taking his elderly parent to be seen at Aintree hospital this week.
He described the scenes as 'the worst he had ever seen' within the major parts of Aintree's A&E department. He added: "I have spent a fair amount of time in and out of here with my elderly relatives lately, but I have never seen patients lying on trollies stretching all the way down and into the adjoining corridors, which are part of the main hospital.
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"Never mind at capacity, it's gone beyond that and then some. While stressful for my elderly parent, I witnessed relatives rushing in a gentleman suffering from the early signs of a stroke only to be met with the response of 'they will have to join the back of the queue' - which was stretching far beyond the never-ending corridors of A&E." He added that staff at the hospital were 'working miracles' to try and get patients seen.
The NHS continues to face major strain at present, with reports of severe waiting times at Accident and Emergency departments around the country. Earlier this month Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted hospitals were under 'huge pressure.'
Mr Javid was shown a viral video of a nurse at a hospital in Essex warning patients in a packed waiting room that there were no more ward beds left and urging relatives to leave their loved ones to free up space. Patients in the waiting room had been told they faced waits of 13 hours to be seen.
Mr Javid said: "Because of the impact of covid, we know already from our NHS estimates, we think some 11 to 13 million people stayed away from the NHS because of the pandemic. Many of those people are coming forward, many of those to A&E, and we’re seeing very high levels of demand. That is a real challenge for the NHS across the system."
In response to the images, Dr Jim Gardner, medical director at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are continuing to experience significant demands on our emergency services. This means that on occasion we have a number of patients waiting in our Emergency Department corridor.
“The safety and welfare of these patients is our priority and they are cared for by allocated nurses. However, we know this is not ideal and we are doing everything we can to avoid this. People can help us by only coming to our Emergency Departments if they have a serious medical emergency and seeking alternative services for other less urgent concerns.”
A spokesperson for the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, said: "Accident and Emergency Departments continue to experience very high levels of demand across Cheshire and Merseyside, and indeed the country.
“We have recently seen high numbers of ambulance call outs, and people attending A&E themselves. Our medical teams are working hard to ensure people get the treatment they need, as quickly as possible with patients attending A&E always seen in order of clinical priority.
“NHS trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside are working together to make improvements and help us to manage this increased demand with staff focused on providing safe patient care and ensuring those already in hospital beds are discharged quickly when they are well to create space for people who need our urgent attention.
“Our residents can also help us reduce the impact of such demand by remembering that A&E should only be used for major, life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Please be aware that many other points of care and assistance are available to people for conditions which are less urgent. Please do make your first contact NHS 111 for advice, your local pharmacy, walk-in centre or your GP in such instances."
Work has now started on a £16 million improvement project at Aintree University Hospital, which is aimed at reducing waiting times in the Emergency Department and delivering better care for patients.
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