Cancer patient treated in ‘cupboard’

Local TV

The family of a cancer patient who was rushed to hospital after concerns due to a blood test has described conditions at the Royal Gwent Hospital as ‘like the Gaza Strip’. The hospital apologised and confirmed she spent the rest of her time in a bed, but corridor care has become a growing concern for the NHS in Wales.

Transcript

00:00A woman has been forced to stay overnight in what her family have described as a cupboard

00:07in a South Wales hospital.

00:10After falling unwell at home, she was rushed to the Royal Gwent Hospital's Medical Assessment

00:14Centre, needing urgent care and isolation due to a weakened immune system as a result

00:19of her ongoing chemotherapy.

00:21Her family says the hospital was so overcrowded that the only available space for her was

00:26in a tiny side room and she and her father, a retired consultant, reportedly spent the

00:31night seated on plastic chairs while other patients were on the floor or on window sills.

00:38Her mother described the scene as like something from the Gaza Strip, highlighting the severity

00:42of pressures facing the NHS.

00:44She said her daughter had been advised by doctors to go to hospital after concerning blood test

00:48results and that a neighbour helped her get there quickly.

00:53The case follows another recent example in Qumran, where a cancer patient had to spend

00:57the night on a chair before collapsing and being moved into a bed.

01:00Both incidents point to what is known as corridor care, where a lack of available beds forces

01:05staff to treat patients in any possible space.

01:10An Iron Bevan University Health Board has apologised, confirming the patient was cared for in a small

01:15assessment room.

01:16A spokesperson said staying there overnight was the best possible option to protect her from

01:21infection.

01:22The patient was eventually moved to a cubicle, where she remained until returning home.

01:28While staff acted to protect her for health, families are now raising concerns about overcrowding

01:33and the strain it places on both patients and the NHS, underlining the urgent need for solutions

01:38to hospital capacity pressures.

01:40Here's Peach Watkins, reporting for Local TV.

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