Mother claims people are 'waiting for days' to receive scans and treatment at Stoke Mandeville Hospital

A mother who recently took her son for a scan on his appendix says people are waiting for days to receive treatment at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

During an extended wait for a scan she met a girl who said she had spent three days waiting for an appendectomy.

Her own son had to wait over 24 hours for his operation, having to sleep on a chair at the facility with acute appendicitis before finally entering the theatre.

A Buckinghamshire NHS Trust official conceded that currently staff at the well-known hospital are under “extreme pressure”.

Currently, NHS staff across the country are having to deal with Covid and flu cases, as well as emergency incidents.

While, since the pandemic the number of people on waiting lists to receive elective hospital treatment has nearly doubled.

The mother reported to The Bucks Herald seeing at least 20 people on trolley beds in the Stoke Mandeville Hospital waiting room.

While the A&E wing was also “packed” she said.

In response to this instance a Buckinghamshire NHS Trust spokesman said: “The Trust, like many others across the country, is currently facing extreme pressure. The number of patients who are medically fit to go home, but who can’t be discharged without a care package, occupy a significant percentage of our beds and the numbers of acutely unwell people attending A&E has been high. This means we have more admissions and fewer discharges than we might normally expect at this time of year, which has had a knock-on effect on diagnostic services such as X-ray, CT or MRI scans.

“The Trust has also been undertaking some planned works in our Emergency Department to improve patient care and experience ahead of winter. This has meant our team has, temporarily, been working in a smaller space. We are asking the public to help us to help you by keeping A&E for emergencies only. If you’re not sure, visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111 to get the help you need more quickly.”

The Bucks mum added: “The conditions the patients and staff are having to cope with are atrocious. The stress on staff must be huge. More will leave if this is their day to day working conditions.”