Outraged patients spent night on trolleys
Hospital patients who were forced to spend the night in A&E on trolleys at a Glasgow hospital have been issued letters of apology from health board managers.
Management blamed an “unprecedented surge in demand” at several hospitals in the city for the lackluster treatment, which saw a total of 17 planned operations cancelled and 50 patients had to be found care home placements to free up beds. Admissions increased by 24% on Monday night, with the Victoria infirmary even running out of blankets and pillows.
15 referrals were sent to other Glasgow hospitals and 17 non-urgent procedures were postponed, although other hospitals within the area were also experiencing a higher rate of admission.
Failing to hit targets
Chief executive Robert Calderwood told BBC News “I would like to apologise to those patients who experienced lengthy delays over the past 48 hours. The demands that we have been experiencing are unprecedented for this time of year and I would like to pay tribute to my clinical colleagues in all our hospitals who have been working tirelessly to respond to this challenge.”
Last month it was revealed that Accident and Emergency departments across Scotland were still failing to meet a target to treat most people within four hours.
