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An NHS nurse miscarried after spending five hours waiting in the A&E department.
The husband of the nurse, who was not identified, said his wife was left waiting ‘bleeding and [in] pain’ for five hours waiting to see someone.
Speaking to Sky News, the devastated husband said his wife began to experience pain and heavy bleeding so visited the A&E department of the NHS Trust she works at.
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He told the news outlet a nurse had initially wanted to send the couple home, but when his wife explained that she was also a nurse, he had ‘reluctantly agreed’ to let her see a doctor.
The man says his wife was then sat in the waiting area for five hours while still bleeding and in pain.
He told Sky News: "I was told that the gynaecologist had refused to see her and that she was hours away from being seen by the ED [emergency department] doctor."
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As his wife was in so much pain, the couple decided to give up on the wait and return home so she could get some rest - but tragically, just 10 minutes after getting home, she miscarried.
"My anger and grief is immense,” the man added. “That not just ourselves, but countless others, have been failed… I include NHS staff as being part of the group being failed."
In a statement, the trust involved told Sky News: "Whilst we cannot discuss the individual care of any patient without their consent, the loss of a baby at any stage is devastating for a family.
"We are seeing significant pressure across the NHS at the moment. We know this can be extremely challenging for those accessing our services.
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"Also, for our staff working above and beyond to treat unprecedented numbers of people coming into our hospitals and out in the community.
"This is absolutely not the position we want to be in, and we are working tirelessly to make sure we are able to provide the best care possible.
"The public can support us by accessing the right services for their needs. This way we can focus our services on those who need it most."
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The NHS is currently under enormous pressure, with one senior nurse telling the BBC it is ‘the most challenging’ time she’s seen in her three decades of nursing.
Senior sister Susan Beswick, who works in the A&E department of Royal Bolton Hospital, told the BBC: "The last six to 12 months have been more challenging than I have ever known.
"We have been exceptionally busy for quite a number of weeks now. We're running two to three times above our capacity continually and often more than that."
Claire Reid