After waiting more than 10 hours, I was given a bed in a corridor with no privacy

The blog is written by Sally*, a retired Intensive Therapy Unit sister nurse and NHS patient in the South of England.

When I received a call from my GP telling me that I must go straight to A&E, my husband rushed me there right away. I was told that I could have a cardiac arrest at any time and mustn’t drive. What I didn’t expect was to then spend ten hours waiting in A&E before being offered a reclining chair and eventually a bed in the corridor for the rest of the night. 

What I was told would be a two hour wait, stressed and worried that I might have a cardiac arrest due to low haemoglobin in my blood, ended up going on for more than 13 hours. I waited and waited, constantly asking how much longer it would be and being told that I would have to wait. 

I am a retired Intensive Therapy Unit sister nurse. I know that the challenges facing the NHS are steep, but I didn’t expect that myself and other patients severely at risk would be kept waiting like this. The hospital was under great pressure and at times it seemed like there weren't enough chairs or doctors.

When I was finally put in a bed, they were end-to-end along the length of the corridor with no privacy. I received blood transfusions in this corridor and when I needed to go to the toilet I was told to use a commode in full view of other patients. I wasn’t the only one, with men and women told to use commodes or handheld urinal bottles. I refused and pushed my infusion stand to a ward where there was a lavatory. 

Eventually I was transferred to a ward and offered a chair. I declined yet again because of back problems. Here I received only two of the three pints of blood recommended by the consultant before eventually being discharged with a follow up appointment. 

I worked in the NHS for many years, as did members of my close family - some of whom continue to work in it. However, with social care on its knees, patients will continue being forced to wait in ambulances and corridors. I worry that if I were to end up in A&E again, I might not be treated in time. We need meaningful and urgent action from the government to end the dangerous crisis of corridor care.