'No dignity': Man whose mother had stroke left on trolley for 48 hours at Sussex hospital

A man from Eastbourne says he's angry his elderly mother had to wait two days on a trolley in A&E, before being admitted to a ward.

Mark Wilson's mother was left on trolley in a corridor at the Royal Sussex County Hospital for nearly 48 hours when she'd suffered a mini-stroke.

Mark said he doesn't blame staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and can't fault any doctors for his mother's treatment. But, he thinks they are overburdened with patients, adding that the hospital needs more resources.

Mark Wilson said: "I actually felt quite angry really that she's gone through that. It's a 71-year-old woman on a trolley in A&E, no dignity, nothing there.

"She just had a stroke and people that have strokes are meant to be kept calm. She wasn't being kept calm in my view, more stress added to her that she didn't need."

It comes as junior doctors started a 5-day strike, in a long running pay dispute with the Government. It's the 11th walkout since industrial action began.

• WATCH: Mark Wilson talks about his mother's experience at the Royal Sussex County Hospital

Dr Andy Heeps, Chief Operating Officer at UH Sussex said: "When our hospitals are so busy, staff can struggle to move patients into the right ward space because beds are not available - that is a poor experience for patients, and we would apologise to anyone who is affected in this way.

"Our teams do brilliant work to ensure that patients still receive the care they need, from the right specialists, even in A&E but we know this is not what people should expect. "The situation in our hospitals reflects pressures across the whole health and care system, and we are actively working with our partners to better manage how people can get the care they need, in the right place, as quickly as possible."

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