Chaos in our hospitals as flu cases on rise

PATIENTS have described 'war zone' scenes inside hospital A&E departments as the health service struggles to deal with unprecedented demand amid a wave of super flu cases.

- By LIAM THORP

Across the country, the NHS has warned it is facing a worst-case scenario as exhausted staff attempt to deal with a surge of flu cases.

One patient who contacted the ECHO said they had been left waiting for 19 hours to see a doctor after going to Aintree Hospital's A&E department.

The man said: "I have been sitting in a chair for all that time with no sleep. We were told that there were no beds for at least 63 people who were waiting, there are no doctors available - it is just chaos. People are lined up everywhere."

The man said he saw around a dozen ambulances waiting outside the hospital's A&E department, unable to offload patients, he saw many being treated in corridors and others walking out because they could not wait any longer.

He said: "The entire department feels like a war zone. Staff are visibly exhausted, patients are frightened."

Another man contacted the ECHO after visiting the Royal Liverpool Hospital's A&E department last week.