A Moray woman spent more than seven hours in an ambulance outside Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin as NHS Grampian battles to meet the demand for health care.
The woman, known as Marie, called for an ambulance shortly after 10pm on December 29 after experiencing excruciating back pain for several days.
Upon arrival at the emergency department, she faced an agonising seven-hour wait to see a doctor in one of several ambulances queued up outside.
It comes as NHS Grampian has warned about “extreme pressure” being experienced by the health service across the north-east with bosses even issuing an appeal for staff on leave to return to work to help.
Suffering at home
The following morning, a doctor assessed Marie’s condition inside the ambulance before discharging her home with medication.
Speaking about the ordeal, she said: “It wasn’t nice as I was in a lot of pain. The ambulance crew were nice. They gave me gas and air and sandwiches but lying on a trolley was very painful for me.
“The doctor didn’t come to see me to offer painkillers or anything before he saw me at 6am the following morning.
“He saw me for around five minutes, asked me a few questions then the doctor went back into the hospital and left me in the ambulance.
“A few minutes later, the doctor came back with tablets and told me to go home so the ambulance took me home.”
Marie says the pain has left her bedbound and unable to care for herself.
She said she is angry about the lack of treatment she received and said more should be done to support people living independently.
“They have left me to suffer at home with no help,” she added.
“I live on my own and I’ve not been able to cook and wash for a few days.
“It hurts my feelings to see how the hospital is treating people, particularly people who live on their own.
“I’m so sick with how the hospital has treated me. It makes me so angry and it’s hurtful.”
NHS Grampian under extreme pressure
NHS Grampian has been facing extreme pressure in recent weeks due to staff shortages and an increase in patients with respiratory illnesses.
Ambulances have been left queued up outside hospitals across the region as rising cases of flu and Covid heap pressure on the north-east health board.
On Tuesday, eight ambulances were queued up outside Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
The surge in patient numbers led bosses to make an urgent call for any medical staff on holiday to head to work to help alleviate the pressure.
In an earlier statement, NHS Grampian said they are “extremely grateful” to off-duty staff for their willingness to work amidst these challenging times.
A spokesman added: “We cannot comment on individual patient cases.
“Speaking generally, emergency departments are for life-threatening situations – for example a suspected heart attack or stroke – in which case patients should call 999 immediately.
“Everyone else can support our teams, and help us treat those needing life-saving care as quickly as possible, by calling NHS 24 on 111.
“At all times, cases are triaged, with those facing life-threatening situations being seen rapidly for emergency treatment, as an absolute priority.”
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