Darlington patient spends 10 hours waiting for bed at A&E

The man in his 70s was left sleeping on a chair in a waiting room at Darlington Memorial Hospital earlier this month his daughter, who wishes to remain anonymous, has said.

The woman says her dad didn’t initially want to go to the hospital because of the long wait times which have become commonplace in A&E departments, but she managed to convince him he needed checking out.

But his fears of a night in a waiting room were realised as she says they spent 10 hours in hospital before getting a bed.

Meanwhile bosses at the Darlington Memorial have apologised if his family were unhappy with aspects of his care, but said he received “thorough” assessment and care while waiting for a bed including scans and tests.

The woman told the Echo: “He had fallen and hit his head. Dad said ‘No I don’t want to go in, I’m going to be sat there for ages’.

Darlington Memorial Hospital.

“I rang 111 and they said to take him to hospital as it’d be quicker than getting an ambulance. When we arrived at about 7.30pm the screen said the wait would be six hours, but that soon went up to ten.

“We got triaged pretty quickly and told he’d get some scans but then we were just sat. It must have been about 11.30pm he told me he wanted to go home and he needed to lie down. I asked if he could have a trolley to lie down but they said none were available.

“He went to sleep on the chairs. There were other people forced to do the same.

“At one point he started throwing up and looked confused and deteriorated and they sped up his CT scan.

“It was about 5.30am by the time we saw a doctor. The look on my dad’s face when he saw the bed - he was desperate to lie down.

“She examined him and he fell asleep on the trolley but she came back and said we had to go back to the waiting room because there was still no bed for him.

“I kept asking for a trolley for him, we’d seen empty ones on the way for the CT scan, but they kept saying they couldn’t give us one. I even said I’d take responsibility for watching him.

“I just went outside to speak to my sister and broke into tears. When I went back they’d got him a bed and I got him settled.”

“I noticed talking to people there was quite a few from Bishop Auckland. The frustration I felt that a lot of the waiting times experienced in the last 10 years could have been resolved by reopening the A&E at Bishop Auckland will stick with me for quite some time.

“I in no way blame the hospital staff, who are doing their best under extreme circumstances to do their jobs and we’re very grateful for the care dad received.”

The woman’s dad was then moved on to the ward and was discharged last week, after an almost two-week stay having been diagnosed with a chest infection and blocked oesophageal stent.

A source told the Echo that hospitals are often unable to offer empty trolleys to patients waiting in hospitals due to space issues, and difficulties monitoring patients.

A spokesperson for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Darlington Memorial Hospital, said: “Our records indicate that this was a particularly busy day with 184 patients attending the emergency department at Darlington Memorial Hospital, a significant number of whom needed very urgent, life-saving care from our medical and nursing teams.

“Whilst in the department this patient underwent a thorough clinical assessment and appropriate tests under the care of a doctor, including blood tests, a chest x-ray and CT scan. 

“Throughout his time in the department he was observed and monitored by the nursing team and was subsequently admitted to hospital for on-going care.

“We are very sorry indeed that his family is unhappy with aspects of his care, should they wish to discuss their concerns further they can contact our Patient Experience Team.”