Lanarkshire man faces 11 hour wait at A&E while 'shaking and unable to stand' with pain

A patient who experienced stabbing pains leaving him ‘shaking and unable to stand’ was forced to wait 11 hours in A&E at a Lanarkshire hospital.

The man, who is known only as Sami, was rushed to University Hospital Wishaw after experiencing a sudden bout of pain in his stomach at around 6am on Wednesday, April 10.

The usually fit and healthy 27-year-old, from Newarthill, was rushed to the hospital by his wife Ania, who described the experience as ‘traumatic’.

The 32-year-old says they were told to take a seat after signing in and were added to the ‘priority patient’ list as her husband was in extreme pain. Two hours later he was seen by a triage nurse and given strong pain control as he ‘shivered’.

Speaking to Glasgow Live, Ania said: “I’ve never seen my husband in a state like that. I took him to hospital because he was struggling with a stabbing pain that was so bad he struggled to stand.

“It took six hours to be seen which we thought was fine, we understand the NHS is under a lot of pressure. When the doctor said all he needed was rest, Sami wasn’t convinced but we did what they said.

“It was about 9pm that Sami said that the pain had gotten much worse. He was shaking and screaming telling me to take him back to the hospital - I’ve never seen him in so much pain.”

Ania, who was upset believing something was seriously wrong with Sami, rushed him back to the hospital in her car. She says the couple informed the receptionist that they had been earlier in the day and were told to come back - they were told to sit and wait again.

It wasn’t until 11 hours later, at 8am, that Sami was seen and treated, after several hours of lying on the floor with jackets piled on top of him.

She continued: “He’s a fit and healthy guy who has never even complained of being ill. But you could easily see he was in a lot of pain. He was lying on the floor and it was like he was being electrocuted - that’s how bad it had gotten.

“It was making me sick to see him like that. I kept going up and apologising and asking when he would be seen because he is going to pass out and they kept saying the nurse is coming.

“Every few hours I went up and got told the same. As the night progressed the pain would go down and then surge back.

“I was breaking down in tears. It’s embarrassing as an adult, to cry like a child in A&E, but you start thinking the worst; that your loved one could die when they are in that state, and you can’t do anything but beg for help but it’s not coming.”

At 9am the couple were finally able to see a doctor and Sami was given antibiotics to treat his infection. However, after spending nearly a full day in hospital she questioned why the issue couldn’t have been sorted sooner.

She continued: “We know not to go to A&E for minor issues but when someone is shivering in pain and unable to stand. You don’t expect to have to wait a day for treatment.”

Judith Park, NHS Lanarkshire director of acute services, said: “Unfortunately, we continue to see sustained pressure across our three acute hospitals with exceptionally high numbers of people attending our A&E departments, leading to longer waits for patients.

“Patients are all clinically triaged at presentation and this means that patients with more minor ailments will wait longer when the department is very busy.

“We are asking people to please keep our A&E departments safe for those who need critical care. We appreciate the hard work of our staff who are triaging, treating, admitting or discharging patients as quickly as possible during this very challenging time.

“If you think you need to attend A&E but it’s not life-threatening, you should consider the alternatives. You can call NHS 24 on 111 day or night, where you will be directed to the right NHS service. If you just need health care advice, then please use the NHS Inform website.”

*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.