"Waiting over 24 hours for beds - desperate for sleep"

I was referred for hospital admission by my GP and arrived lunchtime with GP paperwork. I was triaged and bloods taken fairly quickly.

It took 4 hours before I received my CT scan and a total of 6 hours from arrival before I was formally admitted to wait for a bed. Staff were universally fabulous but clearly rushed off their feet. Test results and diagnoses were being discussed with patients in public in the waiting room. Security had to ask any non patients to leave A&E at night as the over crowding had become a fire risk.

Several of us spent an excruciatingly uncomfortable night sat in the busy, noisy, brightly lit and over crowded A&E waiting room. There were no proper bathroom facilities for washing, brushing teeth etc (other than one mixed sex public loo being used by everyone including drunk patients ) and only bread (sandwiches or toast) offered to eat.

There was no chance of sleep despite feeling very unwell. I was sat in a chair in A&E receiving IV antibiotics and painkillers etc until I finally was moved to a temporary ward bed almost 26 hours later.

On the ward I was offered dinner - a sandwich. I'd now not had anything hot or any sort of meal for over 48 hours. I was then moved onto another ward at 9pm when at last I managed to get sleep for the first time.

Two days after arriving I was just desperate to get home for some comfort, food and proper sleep and luckily the doctor agreed I could that afternoon.

The staff in A&E and on the wards are working hard under incredibly difficult circumstances and, during my time there, were having to deal with an extraordinarily high number of aggressive, loud and demanding patients.

My health care itself was wonderful but I have no doubt that the circumstances experienced in A&E and the lack of any proper food or ability to wash/shower or sleep etc, definitely made my ability to cope with the pain much more difficult.

Shout out to the wonderful Health Care Assistant who ran to get me my first and only hot meal from the canteen on my last day shortly before I was discharged as I typically missed the hot lunch by a couple of minutes due to having to go for an ultrasound.

A&E desperately needs more overspill facilities for situations such as this when many patients are held up there waiting for beds. There were at least 6 of us waiting over 24 hours for beds and we were all absolutely desperate for sleep. Sick people being awake all night cannot be conducive to a speedy recovery.