Peter Burgess, 55, of Rossett, attended Wrexham Maelor Hospital’s A&E on December 27, with cellulitis, a serious bacterial skin infection, on his leg.

“It was a dreadful experience,” he said. “The infection was travelling up my leg and it clearly wasn’t going away. Nobody even looked at it for hours and hours.”

Peter said he was triaged shortly after arriving but was then sent back to the waiting room, where he remained for long periods with little information.

“All they kept doing was checking my blood pressure and then sending me back out,” he said. “The waiting room was full when I arrived and it just kept getting fuller.”

He said the long waits also had a visible impact on other patients in the department.

“People were frustrated, angry and in pain. There was a man with blood dripping from his nose who had clearly fallen, and he was just sitting there bleeding,” he said.

“They were constantly asking why they were waiting so long. I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t lie down, I just had to sit there. I hadn’t slept at all, I was in pain and exhausted.”

Peter Burgess waited around 27 hours in Wrexham Maelor A&E (Image: Peter Burgess)

Peter said staff told patients at one point there were 104 people in A&E. He added: “It felt like there was no compassion, I didn’t feel cared for, I felt forgotten.

“I think the whole system is overwhelmed. There just aren’t enough staff for the number of patients… it didn’t feel like healthcare in one of the richest countries in the world. It was utterly dreadful, from start to finish, just awful.”

He said nurses periodically came into the waiting area overnight to carry out checks, but it wasn’t until around 1pm the following day before he was told he would be seeing a doctor, but was later returned to the waiting room.

The department eventually began to quieten down in the early hours of the following morning, and he was seen not long after.

Peter was later admitted and treated with five days of intravenous antibiotics due to the severity of the infection.

He said the experience has affected how he views emergency care: “I wouldn’t go to A&E again unless I absolutely had to. I’d try everything not to.

“You hear stories, but I don’t think people really know how bad it is. I wouldn’t want anyone I care about going through that.”

Tehmeena Ajmal, chief operating officer, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “The health and social care system across Wales has been under sustained pressure over the Christmas and new year period and I am very sorry that this has led to many patients in our three Emergency Departments, including Mr Burgess, facing long waits to be treated and discharged, or transferred to a hospital ward.

“I would encourage Mr Burgess to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) directly so that we can better understand and respond to his specific concerns about his experience at Wrexham Maelor Hospital’s Emergency Department.

“Patients can play their part in supporting our hard-working emergency teams by choosing the most appropriate services for their needs, which may include their GP surgery, minor injury unit, or local pharmacy. Please visit the Health Board and NHS Wales 111 website for advice if you are unsure where to go.”