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I RECENTLY received a letter from a constituent, a consultant at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He writes: "You may be interested to know that the situation here today has been chaotic. There have been two patients waiting in the casualty since Monday afternoon, that is for 40 hours, waiting for beds to become free in the hospital. A further 11 patients were in the casualty overnight as there were no beds available for admission to the hospital, and therefore 13 of the 16 casualty trolleys and cubicles were occupied prior to the working day commencing . . . With regard to hospital admissions today, five out of 10 have had to be cancelled for elective surgery. This includes two of my patients with gynaecological cancer."
Shortly before Christmas, I went on evening visits to five of the major casualty departments in London. None of the hospitals - the Whittington, St Bartholomew's, St Thomas's, King's, and University College Hospital - had any beds available. At King's, 16 patients were waiting to be admitted and were being nursed or cared for on trolleys. At Bart's, as I stood in the cramped emergency treatment area listening as the sister recounted the events of the evening, an unconscious man was brought in by the police. "We have run out of trolleys," said the sister, as a mattress was flung on the floor, where the man was treated.
The scene was close to mayhem. This is the hospital most of my constituents use, but the dreadful stories of long waits on trolleys have ceased to shock or even reach the headlines. The first phase of a new Accident and Emergency block should be available next Christmas, but until then, and despite the dedicated efforts of hospital staff, the waiting on trolleys will continue.
The descriptions may no longer shock, but the sight...