The great NHS nightmare of what's become known as "corridor care," where patients are being treated in hospital passageways and not wards, was in the news again yesterday.
One poor guy hit the national headlines when he posted a video of himself hanging round in the corridor of a hospital in England for four days waiting for treatment and saying of the experience, "It makes you feel inhuman".
Although my own recent taste of corridor care was by no means as terrible as this it's certainly something I won't forget in a hurry and don't wish to repeat.
It began last Sunday when an uncomfortable but not too serious health problem I'd been having for some time got quite a bit worse.
As it was a Sunday and my local GP was not available I followed the conventional advice and rang the NHS Wales 111 advice line. After answering some in-depth questions about the problem I was advised to go along to my local hospital's A&E department. I didn't much fancy that because of the frightening stories I'd heard about huge queues and long waits for treatment often spent in corridors.
* Phil Robinson, llanblogger, gives his account of an afternoon and evening spent waiting to see a doctor at Wrexham Maelor.
But, needs must, along I went with my wife to the Wrexham Maelor. The place, as expected, was extremely busy but the lady on reception - like every other staff member I encountered that day - was polite and very helpful, took my details and told me to take a seat and wait.
I thought my luck was in when I was called into the triage area after only 15 minutes. And things looked even more promising when I was summoned to have my essential tests just a quarter of an hour after that.
However, things took a turn for the worse when I was then directed into the dreaded corridor leading from the reception area into the depths of A&E. The place that was to be my base for the next six hours.
I knew it wasn't going to be plain sailing right from the start when the other occupants of the passageway were either in wheelchairs or on trollies. And in some side-rooms were patients lying on beds who appeared to be receiving their longer term care right there rather than on a ward.
During the course of the afternoon and early evening there was a regular turnover of fellow corridor occupants who stayed there for varying periods. Clearly hard-pressed staff made regular checks on them whenever they could, bringing them extra blankets and food plus words of sympathy and cheerful reassurance.
The most distressing sight was an elderly man in a wheelchair who was clearly in some pain - in fact he said so a few times quite loudly. I was even more upset for him when a staff member who I think was a doctor knelt down beside him to ask as discreetly as possible some intimate details of his condition. The man was still there when I eventually left.
On two occasions during my stay a nurse filled me in on what was happening with my case and advised me that someone would be along to take a further blood sample soon. So, soon afterwards, another member of staff turned up to stick a needle in my arm and draw out some of the red stuff right there in the corridor while my fellow occupants tried not to look. It was quite painless by the way and the only thing that was hurt was my dignity.
I'd arrived at A&E about 1.15pm so at 7.15pm I decided to ask, politely, the very helpful nurse I had spoken to earlier when it was expected I might be able to see a doctor. She checked and told me there were five other patients ahead of me in the queue.
But by this time I'm afraid both my wife and I had had enough and I told the same nurse that I'd like to sign myself out, requesting that the results of my tests, which I was still awaiting, be sent to my own GP and they were duly delivered by next morning. My treatment is therefore continuing locally.
I was very lucky that I wasn't too ill to get up and go home. Many, I realise, are not so fortunate.
I'm well aware that people have had a much more harrowing brush with corridor care than I did but its causes - obviously lack of beds and shortage of staff to cope with growing patient demand - need to be dealt with as a matter of supreme urgency to prevent people having to undergo this kind of personal and mental trial for very much longer.
The staff who have to handle it day after day are clearly not happy with it one little bit so let's fervently hope they don't eventually snap under the strain.
Tehmeena Ajmal, Chief Operating Officer at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “Our hospitals and primary care services across North Wales are currently very busy, which is what we would typically expect at this time of year.
“Last week, we declared an internal critical incident due to the significant pressure being experienced across our sites, alongside forecasts of severe weather. This reflects the level of pressure facing our services, which is being seen across health boards in Wales. While improvements made towards the end of last week meant we were able to stand this incident down, our services remain extremely busy.
“We are working hard to manage these pressures by improving patient flow through our hospitals, including speeding up timely discharge where it is safe to do so. This is vital to help free up beds and reduce the length of time people may need to wait in our Emergency Departments, where some patients are currently waiting longer than we would like.
“The public can play an important role in helping us during this busy period by choosing the right service for their needs. Community pharmacies can provide advice and treatment for many minor conditions, and Minor Injury Units are available for injuries that do not require emergency care. We would also encourage people to phone NHS 111 in the first instance, so they can be directed to the most appropriate service and get the right care as quickly as possible.
“We are extremely grateful to our staff and partners who continue to work tirelessly to care for patients during this challenging winter period."
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