Shocking images captured by undercover reporter at Shropshire hospital reveal concerns for patients
These shocking images captured by an undercover reporter in Shrewsbury's hospital lay bare the ongoing NHS crisis affecting the county's A&E services.
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Channel 4's Dispatches sent a reporter undercover at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for two months, with the harrowing findings to feature in a programme highlighting the 'NHS in Crisis' this evening.
The documentary sheds light on the continuing problems with the county's emergency services.
Issues revealed include sick patients waiting overnight in a 'fit to sit' area due to a lack of trolleys.
One patient was there for 30 hours while a suspected stroke case waited 24 hours.
Other findings include what has been described as "a shocking lack of dignity," with one elderly gentleman forced to urinate in a trolley on the corridor in full view of staff and other patients.
On another shift a female patient was left crying out in agony for hours.
The documentary will show how the hospital uses a makeshift ward set up on the X-ray corridor to deal with the overflow from A&E – and those waiting for proper beds on wards.
The ad hoc ward is isolated from doctors and nurses and has no sinks and insufficient plug sockets. Staff are also forced to set up temporary screens between beds to carry out examinations.
The report will show patients forced to wait up for up to four and a half hours in ambulance queues, and staff described being "ashamed of their own department".
One nurse discussing a patient waiting 29 hours admitted: “That’s disgusting care.”
Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which manages the hospital, said it disputed some of the claims made in the programme but accepted it has "significant challenges" and there is "more to do".
A spokeswoman for SaTH said: “As with other hospitals, our trust is facing significant challenges with urgent and emergency care.
"We understand our challenges and are investing in our services and making steady improvements as a trust, as noted in our recent CQC report.
"However, there is still much more to do; we do not want to be in a position where we are caring for patients on corridors.
"We are very sorry that our patients have experienced anything less than the quality care we strive for, and we are determined, working with partners, to improve the care and experience for everyone.
"Our colleagues are working incredibly hard to maintain safe services and we are grateful for everything they are doing to support our patients in this difficult working environment.
"Whilst we dispute some of the claims made in the Dispatches programme, we will fully investigate all of the claims to identify and embed any learning into our continuous improvement work. We remain committed to being open and transparent with our patients and staff and encourage anyone with concerns to contact our PALS team.”
