'I went to hospital with chest pain and spent four nights in a freezing storeroom'

A mum claims she spent four nights in a "freezing cold" storeroom after spending 32 hours in a waiting room with chest pains.

Gwyneth Roberts, 54, from Rhyl, in, who was admitted to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd alleged there was no heating in the Ward 11 storeroom she was allocated. It was full of medical supplies and, according to Gwyneth, was being used fordue to pressure on bed space.

"There was no toilet or wash facilities," she said. "But the main problem was the cold - it was freezing in there. It was so cold, I couldn't sleep. I wore extra clothes, including my dressing gown. The nurses were very nice and on the third night they brought me two extra blankets. But it was still very, very cold."

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Gwytheth, who has learning difficulties, was taken by ambulance to the Bodelwyddan hospital early on Monday, October 7. She was expecting a lengthy wait but it went on longer than she could have imagined. She said she was left in considerable discomfort.

"My doctor thought I might have a blood clot on my lung," she said. "I also have psoriasis and DVT. But in the waiting room there was no stool for my leg. I was there for 32 hours. By the end there were tears in my eyes because there was so much pain."

After a spell in the hospital's Acute Medical Unit, where Covid was ruled out, Gwyneth was moved to the storeroom. "By the Thursday night, I nearly asked to go home," she told . "I couldn't stand it anymore. I asked for more blankets I was worried the cold was making my condition worse.

"I was lonely too, in there by myself. Nurses popped in to do blood checks and stuff, and there were meals brought in. I could call them on my bell but there was no one else to talk to. It was horrible."

Given her disability, Gwyneth has a support worker who visits her on Tuesdays to help around the house. "My support worker visited me on the Thursday and she didn't like what she saw," she said. "She took photos and said she would complain about the room."

Some patients might say a separate room, even a draughty store room, is preferable to being kept in a corridor. Gwyneth dismissed the idea. "I would have much preferred being in a corridor," she said. "Not only is it warmer and less lonely, the nurses can keep a closer eye on you."

The Welsh Government wants 95% of patients to be spending less than four hours in hospital emergency departments. None should be waiting more than 12 hours. In September, the latest month for which figures are available, only 68.8% of patients waited less than four hours.

Median waiting time was two hours and 42 minutes, with older patients waiting longer than younger ones. In September, people aged 85 and over waited an average of five hours and 32 minutes.

Health boards have long argued there isn't a shortage hospital beds, just pressures on patient flows due to a post-discharge shortage of community resources. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) estimates 10%-15% of its bed capacity is taken up by people who are fit for discharge but are waiting for community support. In turn, this is affecting patient flows in emergency departments.

BCUHB was approached for a comment. A spokesperson for the health board said: "We are unable to discuss the care of any patient or service user without their consent, but would always encourage someone to contact us directly if they have any questions or concerns about their care." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox