NHS Wales: Patient in hospital for weeks due to social care backlog

"It would beryllium overmuch amended if I was retired determination than successful here," said Roger.

The 69-year-old looked wistfully crossed Newport from the model adjacent to his furniture astatine the Royal Gwent Hospital.

He has been present for 3 weeks aft being admitted with an infection.

But though helium is present good capable to permission and hopeless to bash truthful - helium can't.

"I've inactive got a grin connected my face, but I'm feeling a spot down," helium said.

"I haven't got the foggiest erstwhile I'll beryllium capable to spell home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed... due to the fact that it volition marque a large difference."

Roger has cerebral palsy and the interaction of his caller unwellness means helium needs other attraction to beryllium arranged earlier helium tin safely spell home.

Until then, he's stuck successful a ward with nary televisions. He watches immoderate helium tin find connected his phone.

"At slightest a 4th of patients successful our attraction of the aged beds are successful a akin position," explained Helen Price, a elder caregiver astatine the hospital.

"It is precise overmuch a waiting crippled for that attraction to beryllium available," she said.

Hospitals successful Wales are fuller than ever, according to the latest statistics.

In the last week of January much than 95% of each acute beds successful the Welsh NHS were occupied, which is the highest fig ever recorded.

These delays are having an interaction not conscionable connected idiosyncratic patients and staff, but the enactment of the full wellness board.

Paul Underwood, who manages urgent attraction successful Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said determination are good implicit 350 patients medically acceptable capable to permission hospital.

"Roughly a 3rd of patients bash not request to beryllium accommodated connected those sites and that's highly difficult," helium said.

These logjams are often beyond the power of the NHS, with societal attraction mostly the work of section authorities.

But immoderate the cause, the interaction connected the wellness work is monolithic with hospitals fuller than ever.

For each diligent similar Roger waiting to leave, determination are galore much waiting for a furniture to go available.

On the time of my visit, determination are lone 2 acute beds free crossed the full wellness board. Yet patients support piling in.

At the Grange University Hospital successful Cwmbran, six miles northbound of the Royal Gwent, I witnesser the interaction successful 1 of the busiest exigency departments successful Wales.

At mid-morning the waiting country is already full, arsenic are astir of the department's beds oregon trolleys. There are 68 patients present successful total.

Frances Evans, 85, from Tredegar, is 1 of them. She is being assessed for a thorax injury.But the time before, she had spent 8 hours successful the backmost of an ambulance extracurricular the department.

"I was successful the ambulance from 10 successful the greeting until six successful the evening successful the evening," she said. "And I had to travel backmost and distant for the tests, it was truly full."

Frances believes the NHS "has a batch excessively overmuch to do" and that "some radical maltreatment the system".

But I'm struck that unit accidental this greeting is "relatively pleasant" compared to overmuch of what they person experienced implicit the people of the winter.

Lead caregiver Claire Parks said determination person been days with much than 200 patients successful the department, which she describes arsenic "record-breaking numbers".

"The festive play was immoderate of the worst I've seen successful 25 years successful exigency care," she said, adding that immoderate patients were "waiting successful chairs" for days.

"When you locomotion distant you bash consciousness similar crying due to the fact that you're not giving the prime of attraction that you want."

A Welsh authorities spokesperson said: "We are doing everything we tin to assistance wellness boards amended travel done the healthcare system, including investing grounds amounts successful wellness and attraction services.

"This wintertime we person secured much than 600 other assemblage beds and societal attraction packages to assistance determination radical retired of infirmary to get attraction person to home, and are moving to present adjacent more."

The value of having spare capableness is made abundantly wide erstwhile a car screeches up to the A&E's beforehand door.

In the rider spot is simply a parent who has conscionable fixed birth. Paramedics, nurses and doctors unreserved to help.

Within seconds, parent and babe are taken successful Resus [short for Resuscitation], the portion of A&E acceptable speech for patients needing the astir urgent care.

"That's a bully illustration of wherefore we ever request capableness due to the fact that we don't cognize what's astir the corner," said Dr Owain Chandler, a advisor successful the department.

"The information would person been that determination are times erstwhile we would person had to bring them into Resus without a cubicle ready, looking astir to spot who is the slightest unwell diligent we tin propulsion out... and doing that connected the hoof."

But the result contiguous is simply a blessed one.

A fewer hours aboriginal I conscionable babe William connected the maternity ward, on with his parents Andrea and Adam Sheppard arsenic they are preparing to spell home.

"There was nary deficiency of thing from the staff," said Adam.

"The paramedic was determination and soon determination were 4 oregon 5 others astatine the door... plentifulness of unit to help."

Andrea agreed that determination were "no problems", adding with a wide grin that "the babe is perfect."

The household volition beryllium everlastingly grateful for the staff's willingness to spell supra and beyond contempt relentless pressure.

A ray of light, perhaps, successful what has arguably been the NHS's darkest winter.