A member of staff brought Donna a meal during their seven-hour wait (Image: Donna Wilkins)
A woman whose severely son was left waiting in an ambulance for seven hours says the scene in A&E was “like something from a disaster movie”.
Donna Wilkins’ son James, 40, who lives with and schizophrenia, had suffered a suspected seizure.
An ambulance arrived promptly and the journey to Royal Bournemouth took just five minutes. But the pair were then left waiting from around 6pm until he could be seen in the emergency department just before 1am.
When a space finally became available inside, Donna, 60, was “shocked by the rows of beds in the hallways…it was like something from a disaster movie”.
She added: “There were trolleys with screens around them. I remember seeing signs saying: ‘Please walk up the corridor quietly, people are trying to sleep’.
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“There was one guy – he must have been in his 80s – on a trolley in the hallway trying to sleep and his wife was sitting in a chair next to him. I thought, how has our NHS got to this state? It’s unbelievable.”
Recalling the experience in January 2023, Donna told of her despair that little appeared to have changed two years later.
A report from the Royal College of Nursing last week , where overflowing wards and departments meant patients were treated on temporary trolleys in locations including car parks, cloakrooms and shower rooms.
Bottlenecks with admitting patients have also meant that too often ambulances are left queuing outside hospitals and unable to respond to new calls.
Donna said she heard urgent requests coming in over the radio, with “handlers desperately trying to find an ambulance free to go to the emergency”.
The mum and son were even moved between ambulances when one crew’s shift ended.
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James’s autism became much more severe after a seizure eight years ago and he now has two carers at home 24/7.
Donna feared he might become agitated and damage the ambulance if kept waiting for too long but the “amazing” staff kept him calm by chatting and playing videos of Pokemon on their phones.
A manager brought Donna a plate of hot lasagne and pudding. And despite the strain on the department, staff found a quiet cubicle where James could be seen when he was eventually moved inside.
Donna added: “They did an amazing job and I just feel really sorry for the NHS and all the staff who don’t get enough credit. I think it starts at the top, with the Government and the funding. I’m not sure what’s going on with the NHS.
“All I know is that 30 years ago, when I was younger, it wasn’t like this. If I went to A&E, I got seen, I definitely didn’t wait seven hours in the back of an ambulance.
“There are a lot of people who need the NHS but it’s just such a shambles at the moment. Somebody needs to do something about it.”
Donna, who has 21 grandchildren, urged politicians to act. She added: “Our NHS is precious, to everybody and even more so to families who have someone who is quite poorly and have to rely on it more than others.”
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust said: “We apologise for the delay with James being taken to majors.
“Winter is always a challenging time of year, particularly so soon after the holidays as this was, but we will always do our best to prioritise patients and ensure they are in the right place for their care as soon as possible.”