Woolwich: Eight-hour NHS Queen Elizabeth Hospital A&E waits after ‘biting’ attack

A man says the NHS is “not fit for purpose” after claiming to have faced eight-hour waits at A&E - on consecutive days.

Hugh Grierson, 32, visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital in south-east London after being bitten in a bizarre attack.

But when he got to the emergency department on Tuesday (June 27) he was told there would be a six to eight-hour wait, he says.

Hugh then went home before returning to the hospital at 5.30am the next day - and was told the wait time was unchanged, he claims.

Exasperated Hugh said he now wants to speak out to highlight issues with the NHS.

Government targets say A&E patients should have a maximum four-hour wait from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.

Hugh, from south-east London, said: “We all know the NHS is on its knees but it’s absolutely not fit for purpose. I have private medical insurance, but it doesn’t mean anything because there’s nowhere I can go. I felt exasperated – we’re supposed to be proud of our NHS and as far as I can see we shouldn’t be.

“I’m just trying to draw attention to it – the government does nothing and they need to decide, are they going to privatise it or not? That’s the bottom line because it’s not working.”

Hugh, a software consultant, was attacked while out in London with friends in mid-June. He says he was bitten by his attacker, which broke the skin and left him concerned about infection.

He then tried to book an appointment with his GP the following day – but was told there were no appointments available, and he should try waiting at A&E.

However, when he arrived at A&E at 5.30pm on Tuesday he was faced with a six to eight-hour waiting time.

He was advised to return between 6am and 7am the next day, so arrived on Wednesday at 5.30am - only to be faced with another eight-hour wait.

Unable to miss work, Hugh was forced to walk away from A&E again and now says he feels that the service is not fit for purpose.

“I’ve gone in twice over the last two days and have had to leave on both occasions – I can’t afford to be there for eight hours, I have to work,” said Hugh.

“All I needed was some emergency blood taken, somebody bit me, and it broke the skin.

“It’s the sort of thing you have to get looked at quickly or it has serious health ramifications.

“Before that, I tried to go to the GP but the GP had also refused to see me and said they had zero bookable appointments available ever - I said that’s ridiculous, can you not just put me on the list, and they said no.

“The waiting room was swarming with people – I came back 5.30am and the waiting time was an extra two hours.

“The waiting room at 5.30am was absolutely stacked - I can’t believe it, it’s shocking.”

A spokesperson for the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “Our emergency departments are extremely busy at the moment, resulting in long waits for people with non-life threatening conditions.

“We prioritise patients according to clinical need, which means that the most seriously ill patients are seen first.”