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Beds line corridor as some patients wait 24 hours in struggling A&E

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date30 April 2022
Publication titleLiverpool Echo: Web Edition Articles (England)
The image was taken last Saturday evening inside the A&E at Aintree Hospital, with reports some people had been waiting for 24 hours to be seen. It is a scene that is becoming commonplace in hospitals across the country as the NHS buckles under a perfect storm of continued COVID cases, staff absences and a huge backlog of work

This image was sent to the ECHO by a man who had taken a family member to A&E. He was shocked by what he witnessed inside the hospital as staff struggled to keep on top of the volume of patients coming in.

READ MORE: 'My dad died alone after untested patients were sent to his care home'

He said: "There were people in the corridor in trolley beds as far as I could see. I have never seen anything like it. All the staff, the nurses and doctors were brilliant and were doing their best, but to see so many peoples' loved ones left in a hallway like that for hours on end was heartbreaking."

He added: "One young lady I spoke with had been waiting to be seen since 4am and this was now about 5pm. I am a big supporter of the NHS but I have never seen it under so much pressure."

Local health bosses say services are under serious strain and have urged people not to attend A&E unless they have a 'life-threatening emergency.' Dr Janet Bliss, a local GP and Chair of NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group CCG, the organisation that plans health services for the city, said:“We know that sometimes patients are unsure about what to do if they become unwell. Particularly during weekends and bank holidays when their GP practice is closed, but we want to let people know that NHS help is still available when you need it.

“We would strongly urge people not to turn up at one of our busy local hospital A&E departments without an appointment, unless it...

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