Daughter of woman, 90, who spent hours in Medway Maritime Hospital corridor says NHS is 'broken'
WATCH: Jayne Woolley has been speaking to ITV Meridian about her mother's experience at the Medway Maritime Hospital
A woman from Rainham whose elderly mother was moved from one hospital corridor to another has described the NHS as "beyond broken".
90-year-old Greta Woolley, who has dementia, was rushed to the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham last Friday.
Despite losing her mobility and suffering several infections, it took 72-hours for her to be moved onto a ward, after first being seen by a doctor in the Emergency Department.
Greta's daughter, Jayne Woolley, says it's been distressing not just watching her mum in discomfort, but hearing other patients be told they haven't got long to live.
Jayne said: "The staff are doing the best they can and there's so many people in the same situation.
"Mum's lucky in a way that she's got me, but there are alot of people in there who are on their own. They're just calling for the nurses or the doctor and they get ignored because they're just haven't got the time to deal with them."
WATCH: Jayne Woolley explains what hospital conditions are like for her mother, Greta.
The backlog goes beyond Greta, with trolleys backed up almost bumper-to-bumper due to significant pressure in the hospital.
Latest weekly data showed around 100 beds were being taken up in Medway by patients fit enough to be discharged, but with nowhere else to go.
In the South East, almost 2,500 beds were unavailable, with the issue usually caused by a lack of community care.
The Government say it's putting in £1 billion to create extra capacity - with 5,000 more permanent beds already delivered nationally.
Three days after arriving, Greta has made it to a ward but she's been positioned in front of the nurses station and not in a cubicle.
Her daughter, Jayne, says an NHS at capacity leaves little room for patient dignity and respect.
The hospital has apologised and says its staff are working tirelessly to support patients.
In a statement, Sarah Vaux, Interim Chief Nursing Officer for Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are very sorry that Ms Woolley spent so long in our Emergency Department.
"Our hospital is very busy as we continue to see a high number of patients who need admitting for treatment. Unfortunately this means some patients wait longer than we would like to be admitted to a ward.
"Our staff are working tirelessly to provide the best possible care for patients at this particularly busy time."
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