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Swansea patient 'hanging on' waiting for home care

Stuart Holmes has been in hospital in Swansea for eight months, waiting for home care to be arranged.

He had needed an emergency operation after being found collapsed but before he can go home from Singleton Hospital, he needs care to be arranged.

On Wednesday, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Wales said emergency departments felt "like a battlefield."

Part of the problem has been the number of elderly patients who need treatment at this time of year with complex conditions.

Singleton is already trying a new approach to assess elderly patients at the "front door". The idea is to free up more beds for emergencies and reduce what is called "bed blocking".

Mr Holmes's consultant Wyn Harris explains the situation while the patient talks about his frustration and how he has been "hanging on".

4 January 2018

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