A 61-year-old diabetic woman has described a "diabolical" ordeal at a busy Kent A&E department, where she claims she was left vomiting on the floor for over five hours while medical staff walked past her.
A 'Distressing' Ordeal on the A&E Floor
Juliet Caryl from Stanhope, Ashford, fell seriously ill with severe abdominal pain and vomiting in the early hours of Friday, December 12. An ambulance rushed her to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, arriving just after 7am.
Although provided with a wheelchair, Ms Caryl found her pain so unbearable she could not remain seated. She laid down on the floor seeking relief, where she remained for the next five hours. During this time, she alleges that hospital staff repeatedly passed by without stopping to assess her condition or offer basic care, including pain relief, a drink, or a clean sick bowl.
"I was treated appallingly," Ms Caryl stated. "I didn't get any pain relief or anything else for hours. Staff walked past me. There was no dignity, there was no care."
System Under Severe Pressure
Her friend, Samantha Sherwood, who accompanied her, said the emergency department was "really packed" with all chairs taken. She described seeing Ms Caryl surrounded by used sick bowls and tissues, with fellow patients offering tissues and drinks while staff stepped over her.
Ms Sherwood even approached a doctor sitting nearby, only to be told they were "locating a doctor". Photographic evidence shows a nurse walking directly past Ms Caryl as she lay on the floor.
Shockingly, Ms Caryl claims she briefly managed to get onto an emergency bed for about five minutes before being asked to vacate it. She says the bed then remained empty for the duration of her time on the floor.
An Apology and Ongoing NHS Struggles
Ms Caryl was finally seen at around 12.30pm, taken to an assessment ward, and diagnosed with a urinary infection. She was prescribed antibiotics and anti-sickness medication. The experience has left her deeply shaken and angry. "I've paid towards my National Insurance all my life and there was no help," she said. "I know from watching TV that the NHS is not in a good state, but that was diabolical. I could have been dying."
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the William Harvey Hospital, has apologised. Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Hayes said: "We recognise that waiting in severe discomfort is distressing and we are sorry for Ms Caryl's experience."
The trust emphasised that emergency departments prioritise patients based on clinical need after an initial assessment and encouraged Ms Caryl to contact its Patient Advice and Liaison Service.
This incident highlights the extreme pressures facing emergency services in the region. Recent NHS statistics show that in November, 1,105 A&E patients at East Kent Hospitals Trust waited over 12 hours for a bed – the seventh highest figure in the country.
Performance data also reveals that only 57.9% of patients at the William Harvey and the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate were seen within the four-hour target in a recent period, far below the NHS standard of 78%.
The trust has previously resorted to converting a hospital coffee shop into a temporary ward to manage demand. This case emerges as the trust's chief executive, Tracey Fletcher, is on unplanned leave, with Chief Medical Officer Dr Des Holden acting in her stead.
