MSP's mother-in-law in 8-hour trolley wait

Published on Tuesday 6 January 2009 20:49

AN MSP'S elderly relative had to wait for eight hours on a hospital trolley before being found a bed, it was claimed yesterday.

Michael McMahon's 77-year-old mother-in-law was sent to Monklands Hospital in Lanarkshire on Monday after a routine clinic appointment for a heart murmur. But it was not until midnight that a bed was found for her as "overwhelmed" staff struggled to cope.

Labour said it showed the Scottish Government was failing to get to grips with a winter crisis. Mr McMahon, the party's MSP for Hamilton and Bellshill, said: "My impression was the staff were totally overwhelmed through no fault of their own.

"The A&E department was struggling to cope with the high number of patients, many with respiratory problems.

"I was disappointed for the staff that were clearly harassed and coming under increasing pressure from frustrated and upset patients."

Labour said that, by mid-afternoon, Monklands was 40 beds short and the situation at two other Lanarkshire hospitals – Hairmyres and Wishaw – was even worse.

But an aide to Nicola Sturgeon, the health secretary, said: "If Labour had had its way, then this New Year, the accident and emergency facility at Monklands Hospital would be closing – it was only the election of an SNP government that halted Labour's scheme to scrap A&E at Monklands."

Dr Barry Vallance, associate medical director at NHS Lanarkshire, said the hospital had been busy on Monday, but no planned operations had been cancelled.

"Overall, throughout the festive period, the winter plan has worked very well," he said. "We acknowledge, however, that the number of emergency medical admissions (on Monday] was exceptional. There were 76, which is approximately twice the daily average."