Kentish Express Ashford & District
14-hour wait for urgent surgery
A man with a perforated bowel and in need of urgent surgery was left in a wheelchair in the William Harvey Hospital A&E department for more than five hours.
Eddie Thomas, 50, arrived at hospital at about 11pm but waited 14 hours and was sent to two different hospitals before he finally went under the knife – which ultimately saved his life.
His experience, for which he blames a lack of triage and minimal communication between the different health agencies, has prompted him and his partner, David Carr, to make a formal complaint.
The drama began at home in Lower Road, Faversham, when they called 111 for advice after Mr Thomas, who has lupus, suffered intense stomach pain and started to be sick.
They received a call back twoand-a-half hours later at 7.30pm, and were given an out-of-hours doctor’s appointment at Kent and Canterbury Hospital for 10.40pm.
Driving instructor Mr Thomas said: “By the time we got to hospital, it was all very hazy as I was in a lot of pain.
“I saw the GP, who believed it was a possible appendicitis and said we needed to go to the William Harvey, but their printer wasn’t working so they couldn’t give us the necessary document to take there. He hand-wrote it and ordered us an ambulance.
Mr Carr added: “After we arrived at the William Harvey A&E, I am not sure what happened to the piece of paper from the GP and I thought mistakenly the GP had contacted the hospital to tell them of Ed’s circumstances. But no.”
Mr Thomas said: “I was in shock afterwards. It could have killed me.
“I needed a major procedure and don’t know what would have happened if I’d been left much longer.”
He says he was left in the wait- ing room, that nobody came to his aid, offered him painkillers or even asked whether he was OK.
He claims people walking in with visible injuries were prioritised, and even drunks were seen before him.
He added: “They kept pushing us to the back of the queue.”
Mr Carr added: “He was taken into surgery at 1pm and I was phoned by the surgeon, who informed me that it had not been appendicitis or a burst appendix but Edward’s large bowel had perforated and he had had major surgery, a blood transfusion and was in an intensive care unit.”
The couple say they could not fault the staff, who were sympathetic and caring.
Mr Thomas added: “The system is broken and something must be done to fix it.”