Exhausted NHS staff have described a devastating incident where an elderly woman was left to die alone on a trolley in a crowded hospital corridor, calling it the 'final straw' in an escalating winter crisis.
A Tragic Failure in a Corridor
The event occurred in the early hours at Arrowe Park Hospital's A&E department in Merseyside. Staff, already stretched beyond capacity, said the woman was brought in by ambulance but, with no space or staff available, was placed on a trolley in a busy corridor. She tragically passed away without being formally admitted or seen.
One distressed staff member told the Liverpool Echo: "This woman was in the back of an ambulance... she died, on her own, on the corridor. My colleagues were absolutely distraught. They were broken hearted." The employee added they were surprised such a tragedy had not happened sooner and feared it was "bound to happen again."
System Overwhelmed by Unprecedented Demand
The Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust (WUTH), which runs the hospital, confirmed the emergency department is facing "extremely high demand," with attendances roughly 30% higher than expected for this time of year. Daily patient numbers have consistently exceeded 330, reaching a peak of 370 on some days in December.
Staff painted a picture of a department in perpetual crisis. "This winter has been absolutely awful," said one A&E worker. "We have got more and more patients on corridors... We are just overwhelmed." At one point, there were 102 patients waiting for a bed and over 200 people in a department built for 50-60. Patients were described sitting on floors or lying in corridors with coats over their heads.
In a bid to manage, hospital bosses converted an area into a new medical ward. However, staff say this has only added to their burden, as they must still care for these patients without proper ward facilities or staffing.
Broken Staff and a Plea for Change
The relentless pressure has shattered morale and driven experienced staff away. Many senior colleagues have taken stress-related leave, leading to a greater reliance on newly qualified and agency staff. Those remaining face abuse from frustrated, waiting patients.
"Morale is at the lowest it has ever been," a staff member confessed. "There are people breaking down in tears every single shift... I am just about clinging on." They highlighted that it is now common for one nurse to be responsible for 70-80 people in a waiting room, a situation described as "intimidating" and "frightening."
Despite repeatedly filing incident reports and raising concerns with management and unions, staff feel nothing has improved. The hospital's urgent and emergency services are currently rated as 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission.
The staff member concluded: "I don't know what the answer is, but that lady dying on a corridor is the last straw. Something has to change. Patients are coming to harm, our staff are broken."
In a statement, the WUTH trust said patient safety was its "top priority" and praised staff working "exceptionally hard." It acknowledged longer waits and corridor care were challenges across the NHS. The trust said it had opened extra beds and wards, was working to improve patient flow, and urged the public to only use A&E for genuine emergencies.
