A CANCER sufferer has spoken of her disgust at experiencing a long wait at Hereford County Hospital’s A&E Department.

Brenda Kelly, who has terminal cancer, was taken by ambulance staff to A&E after suffering pain across her stomach.

She arrived at 7pm but had not been seen by 10pm when she decided to walk out and, instead, self-medicate.

Mrs Kelly claimed some patients were lying on beds in the corridor and there were no chairs left in the waiting room.

“It’s disgusting the way they are treating people up there, all I wanted to do was to see a doctor,” she said.

“I waited three hours and had still not been seen so came home and took pain killer after pain killer instead.

“My husband followed the ambulance in the car and so the wait cost us £6 in car parking charges. Some of the other patients there had been waiting up to nine hours, it’s ridiculous.

“To come home with no diagnosis is absolutely disgusting.”

Mrs Kelly had first gone to the now closed walk-in centre near Asda before calling an ambulance due to the pain she was experiencing.

A spokesman for the Wye Valley NHS Trust said they were unable to comment on individual cases due to confidentiality, but that long waits were experienced due to ‘early winter pressure’.

They said that over the weekend more ‘very sick’ patients put an increased demand on the service.

These include patients with hip fractures, respiratory conditions and cardiac problems.

“These are serious conditions and staff are prioritising patients to ensure those who need urgent care are treated quickly, which means those with minor ailments are having to wait longer,” said Lynne Kedward, deputy chief operating officer at Wye Valley NHS Trust.

“We apologise to those who have to wait. We are doing all we can to see patients as quickly as possible, but we have a responsibility to ensure those who are most at risk are seen as a priority.

“We are not alone as hospitals in neighbouring counties are also reporting an increase in demand which is leading to long waits in their emergency departments too.”

To avoid long waits, the Trust has repeated its advice that people should consider alternatives before turning up at A&E if their condition or injury is not life threatening or urgent.

Alternatives include calling 111, visiting local GPs or pharmacies, and attending the minor injury units at Ross and Leominster Community Hospitals.