'I spent 12 hours on trolley in hospital corridor'

A man with a history of heart attacks says he "didn't feel human" after being left on a trolley in a hospital corridor for 12 hours.

John Crockford, 77, from Bridlington in East Yorkshire, said he feared he was having a cardiac episode on 4 March but had to wait four hours for an ambulance at his home.

The retired foster carer said the ambulance then queued outside Scarborough Hospital and claimed he was not seen by a doctor until the following day.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it did its best to respond as quickly as possible to all emergencies, while the NHS trust that runs the hospital said its clinical teams prioritised patients according to need.

Mr Crockford said: "You don't feel human when you're in there [A&E corridor]. You're just bunged on a trolley."

He said once inside A&E at 19:00 GMT, more than eight hours after his initial 999 call, he was met with a "queue of trolleys all the way up the gangway".

He added although nurses took his blood pressure and did blood tests, he claimed he did not see a doctor until 14:00 the next day.

"I just don't think the system works anymore. I think it's totally and utterly broken," he added.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) NHS Trust said some patients were having to wait longer for an ambulance response "due to system-wide operational pressures", and had to "prioritise those with a life-threatening condition".

Mr Crockford believes he needs surgery to fit a stent and is on the waiting list for a scan.

He married wife Tina in October 1966 and said he was worried he would not survive to see their diamond anniversary.

"My aim is to reach 60 years of marriage," he said. "It's 59 this year, so I've got a year and a bit to go and I'll have cracked it."

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it recognised some patients faced longer waits than it would like but was working closely with health and care partners, including YAS, to "understand how we can safely speed up the handover of patients".

A spokesperson said: "The operational pressures facing the NHS are well documented, and our hospitals are no exception - experiencing high levels of attendance and ambulance arrivals that reflect the national situation."

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