THE daughter of a 91-year-old pensioner who waited almost 20 hours for a bed in a hospital has described her ordeal as ‘a truly third world experience.’

‘Moaning, groaning, vomiting and crying’ were just some of the scenes the pair witnessed as they waited in the corridors of the Royal Blackburn Hospital accident and emergency department.

Eva Green, of Burnley, was taken to the hospital on Monday at around 10.30pm after she had a fall at home.

But it wasn’t until 6pm the following day, over 20 hours after the ambulance was called, that the elderly woman was given a bed.

Ms Green’s daughter, Paula Charlton, said: “We waited together in a hospital corridor from 10.30pm on Monday and it was nine o’clock the next morning before we saw a doctor.

“After waiting 10-and-a-half hours just to see a doctor, he told us that she needed to be admitted and given a bed.

“She remained on the corridor until 6pm that evening, nearly 24 hours after arriving.”

Ms Green, who suffers from on-going heart problems, was told she wasn’t a priority despite the fact her heart rate had dropped to 35 beats per minute, which is deemed as critically low.

Ms Charlton said: “When we did finally manage to see a doctor, he apologised for that wait and mentioned he was ‘absolutely knackered,’ entering the sixteenth hour of his shift.

“He said that she should be admitted and told us at the time a bed had been found for her but that wasn’t the case.”

The NHS constitution sets out that a minimum of 95% of patients attending an A&E department should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of their arrival.

Ms Charlton also commented on the fact that people were left to roam the corridors and cause chaos in the A&E department causing distress to other patients on the ward.

She said: “A man was pacing up and down the corridors all night long – he kept stopping by a ladies’ bedside, stopping and squeezing her drip. She was obviously terrified.”

Ms Green, who is also partially-sighted, was then discharged 24 hours later after doctors had changed her prescribed medicine. Her daughter was worried it did not leave a observation period for the change in medication as doctors ‘needed the bed.’

Despite her ‘appalling’ experience, Ms Charlton was keen to applaud the staff. She said: “They were absolutely fabulous – there is not doubt about that. The obvious problem here is they are stretched beyond belief.

“I would never want to down-play the amazing work they do but the situation at the hospital is appalling and everyone is suffering.

“Health minister Jeremy Hunt needs to wake up and spend a week in Royal Blackburn A+E.”

A spokesman for East Lancashire Hospitals Trust said: “Patients attending the A&E department are quickly prioritised based on their clinical needs.

“This ensures those who need emergency treatment are seen to first and can mean a longer wait for those who are not in danger and do not need emergency care.

“Hospital staff work hard to manage the flow of patients throughout the hospital so that those who need to be admitted are done so as soon as possible.

“Occasionally, the demand for hospital beds can mean a longer than normal wait and we appreciate this can be frustrating for patients and families.”