Nan says she was left on trolley in A&E corridor for 3 days waiting for a bed

17 February 2024 , 06:16

968     0

Linda claims she spent three days on a trolley at the Liverpool Royal after no beds were available (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

A grandmother claims she spent three days on a trolley in a Liverpool hospital corridor after no beds were available.

Linda Biggs was taken to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Monday, February 12. However, the 69-year-old, who has emphysema said she was left for three days on a trolley in the A&E corridor as there were no beds left. On Wednesday, Linda discharged herself as she "just wanted to go home". Her daughter, Rebecca, described the ordeal as "disgusting."

She said: "My mum went to hospital Monday and was kept on a corridor for three days when they told us there were no beds. There was loads of other people on the corridor and police vans were coming in and out. In the end she discharged herself. It's disgusting. This is my mum's dignity here, it's not fair. They have a duty of care to her."

The grandmother, who lives in West Derby with her daughter, said: "I'm coming to the end of my life. In the end, I just wanted to go home but I could land back there at any time. Those poor nurses are understaffed and working really hard. God help them."

Pensioner Linda Biggs from West Derby who was left in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital corridor for three days (Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

Her experience is one of many, with the NHS under constant pressure due to a lack of beds, with the situation only getting worse after the pandemic struck.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

Across England, the number of people left to wait for 12 hours or more in hospital A&E departments in January 2024 was nearly 3,200 times larger than in January 2011. This was shortly after the Conservative-led coalition took power, the Liverpool Echo reported.

A spokesperson for Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very sorry to hear about this family’s concerns and would encourage them to contact our Patient Advice and Complaints Team if they would like to discuss them in detail with us directly.

"Receiving care on an Emergency Department corridor or facing long waits is not the experience we want for any of our patients, and our staff are working incredibly hard to provide safe and dignified care in what remain challenging circumstances.

“Around a quarter of patients in our beds no longer require hospital care. We are working with partners in health and social care to ensure these patients are cared for in the most appropriate setting, and make beds more readily available to patients who may need to be admitted from our Emergency Departments.”

The Mirror contacted Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for comment.

Conaill Corner