UK National Health Service misplaces patients, patients left on trollies for 24 hrs., nurse cries, 1 wk. 27,000 patients had to wait 4+ hrs. in emergency situations-BBC

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4/23/13, "Struggling hospitals losing patients, say nurses," BBC, Triggle

"Patients are getting lost in hospitals across the UK because they are constantly being switched from ward to ward amid pressures on A&E, nurses say.

The situation has got so bad staff are carrying out what have been dubbed "safari rounds", where consultants go searching for their lost patients.

Figures show it is common for patients, particularly elderly ones, to get moved four or five times during their stay. One nursing union representative said it was a "constant juggle" of patients....

Latest data in England shows the number of patients waiting more than four hours is rising. In the week ending 17 March more than 27,000 patients waited longer than four hours in accident and emergency - double the number from the same week the year before....

Neil Evans, an A&E nurse from south Wales, broke down as he described how he had seen patients left waiting on trolleys for 24 hours at a time.

"It is heart-breaking seeing what our patients are putting up with."...

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The NHS needs to ensure it has proper plans in place to deal with high demand on A&E.

"But it's obvious that this isn't just about A&E services in isolation, it's also about how the NHS works as a whole and how it works with other areas such as social care."

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Ed. note: This is how socialized medicine works.


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