Patient tells of terror of seeing first-hand struggles of NHS after 11-day wait for hospital bed
ITV News Central Reporter Jane Hesketh speaks to Shane Stoppard who is back home following his surgery after waiting 11 days for a hospital bed
A patient who had suffered two bleeds on the brain and feared he would die has told ITV News Central of the terrifying experience of seeing the NHS struggles first-hand.
Shane Stoppard had been waiting 11 days in King's Mill Hospital for a bed to become available at the specialist Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham.
He recorded a video of himself in hospital last week, sharing how he feared for his life after waiting for a hospital bed.
Mr Stoppard is now back at home after having his operation, however he says the scar is a visible reminder of his brain surgery and how he felt at the time.
He told ITV News Central Reporter Jane Hesketh: "I never thought I'd breathe again. I thought I had my last breath of fresh air."
Mr Stoppard said: "I felt I had nothing left, I was as low as I could get, I had nothing left.
"I had given up hope, I had so many broken promises, people saying you are going to move, then nothing happens. I understand why because it's the path of least resistance, it's easier to give a maybe rather than a no."
"People in power need to realise we don't appreciate that as human beings, somethings we need to be spoken honestly with," Mr Stoppard adds.
However he has praised the hospital staff for all their hard work and also reflects on the immense pressure they're under.
Mr Stoppard said: "It's so wrong, it's so broken and it's not getting any better at all, I can assure you of that - that's how sad it is."
He adds that he can now appreciate normal life again as he recovers at home with his wife Mandy.
"This morning for the first time, I went out in the yard to breathe fresh air and I just say there, it's the simple things in life you miss.
"I went to see my next door neighbour, they are such good people, just to say hello, they were so pleased for me, just to breathe fresh air. I never thought I'd breath again. I thought I had my last breath of fresh air."