Family forced bring camp bed for grandfather during 12-hour A&E wait at Hairmyres Hospital

An 83-year-old grandad was forced to lie on a camping bed, brought by his family, while waiting for over 12 hours in A&E.

George Morris, from Torrance, was shaking “uncontrollably” and “close to crying” while he waited at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride on November 1.

The 83-year-old had been sent to A&E by his GP, who raised concerns over a possible infection and heart problems.

It was Mr Morris’s second visit to A&E within ten days, having already spent close to 20 hours in a waiting room chair at Glasgow Royal Infirmary for the same infection.

George Morris with his granddaughter, Hannah, at her graduation last year. Mandy Morris

His daughter, Mandy Morris, brought him a camping bed, a hot water bottle and some fresh water while he waited to be seen by staff who were “run off their feet”.

“It was around 3am when my sister Claire called and said she didn’t know what to do. He’s in tears and can’t wait any longer,” Ms Morris told STV News.

“He’d been for around 18 hours the week before, and he wasn’t himself, so my sister took him up again. The staff said she couldn’t take Dad home, so I took the stuff up for him.”

When her dad was eventually seen by staff, Ms Morris said he was shaking “uncontrollably” and had to be held down to get bloods taken.

‘How much worse does it have to get?’

The family are now calling on ministers to spend time in their local A&E to witness the scale of the problem.

“We’ve challenged local MSPs to come sit in the waiting room chairs for 14 hours and see how they manage it while they’re fit and well,” Ms Morris said.

She added that the family doesn’t want this situation to be turned into a pawn for politicians, with their concerns lying with future patients in similar or worse situations to her dad.

“It’s great that the Government is investing money in the NHS, but we won’t see that for years. An 83-year-old man with suspected blood infection and in a bad way was waiting, and they couldn’t find anywhere for him. How much worse does it have to get?”

She added that the “amazing” nurses and doctors at the hospital are “doing their best” in the current climate.

“It’s not just peak times when the waits are long; people have reached out and said their times have been long.”

Ms Morris said she had a similar experience to her dad’s when she took her mum to A&E in April this year.

“We waited for hours, and my mum couldn’t wait any longer, so I took her home. The next day, she was taken back to the hospital in an ambulance and put in a wheelchair to wait,” she said.

‘People are going to die because of this’

She warned that if the situation continues, people are going to die.

“People are going to take themselves home, and are going to die because of this,” she said.

Ms Morris added her father’s health has deteriorated following his ordeal at the hospital.

“He was really independent and fit and healthy before, with a great social life, and he’s barely been able to get out of bed. The stress and infection has really had an effect. He’s lost around a stone and a half in a week,” she said.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “No one should have to wait this long for the care and support they need. This patient’s experience is unacceptable, and we are in touch with NHS Lanarkshire to investigate this issue further.

“Currently A&E performance is below the levels we all wish to see – we are working closely with all NHS Boards to ensure improvements are made as quickly as possible and to ensure they have the support in place to cope with peaks in demand.

“A&Es are facing sustained pressure, with boards reporting higher levels of hospital occupancy which is causing delays at the front door. This situation is not unique to Scotland with all other UK nations experiencing similar pressures. Despite this, Scotland’s core A&E departments have consistently outperformed those in England and Wales over the past decade.

“We are investing £200m to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges. We will provide direct access to specialist Frailty teams in every A&E and expand Hospital at Home capacity to at least 2,000 beds by the end of 2026. These measures will help us shift the focus of care from acute to community.”

Lise Axford, Chief of Nursing Services at University Hospital Hairmyres, said: “We are very sorry to hear about Mr Morris’ experience and would like to offer our sincere apologies to him and his family for the length of time he waited.

“Our emergency departments continue to face sustained pressure across all three acute hospitals, with exceptionally high numbers of people attending A&E. This is resulting in longer waits for patients.

“We fully recognise these challenges and remain committed to improving patient experience, supporting our staff and reducing waiting times.

“Please only attend A&E in a life-threatening emergency. By choosing the right care for your needs, you’re helping ensure our hospitals are there for those who need them most.”