'My 89-year-old mum spent three days in a hospital foyer waiting for a bed'

11 February 2024 , 16:25

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Greta Woolley was left on a trolley for three days at a hospital in Kent (Image: Jayne Woolley / SWNS)

An 89-year-old woman with dementia was forced to sleep in a hospital foyer for three days in a "dehumanising" display of the NHS crisis.

Greta Woolley, a retired shop worker from Rainham, was taken to A&E at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, on January 26 with a chest infection, urine infection and swollen left knee - symptoms that had previously been present when she had sepsis. But despite doctors deciding she needed to be admitted, she was not given a bed on a ward for 72 hours, instead having to wait on a trolley in a corridor.

Her daughter Jayne Woolley, 61, says the experience was hugely distressing and indignifying. She said: "I can't ever remember it being this bad… It is just so dehumanising for everyone. A patient next to us was begging their son to come take them home as they found the experience so embarrassing.

“When mum got examined… she's got a catheter fitted - she was in the corridor, so everyone was looking past, everyone could see. There's no dignity, there's no privacy and it's the same for most families."

Mrs Woolley, who has Alzheimer's disease, was finally admitted to a ward on January 29 and remains in hospital being treated for her infections, acute kidney failure and osteoarthritis in her knee.

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Her daughter added: "Her A&E experience certainly hasn't helped her. She wasn't able to rest as much as she wanted due to the chaos and noise, disruption and cold. They should shut the doors - it can't go on like this.

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"You see it busy on a Saturday with sports injuries and drunk people, but never like this. It really is a crisis and the staff are working as hard as they can, but there's no respite."

Sarah Vaux, the interim chief nursing officer for Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are very sorry that Ms Woolley spent so long in our Emergency Department. Our hospital is very busy as we continue to see a high number of patients who need admitting for treatment.

“Unfortunately this means some patients wait longer than we would like to be admitted to a ward. Our staff are working tirelessly to provide the best possible care for patients at this particularly busy time."

John Stevens